OF  CALIF.  LIBRARY,  LOS  ANGELES 


BRIEF  HISTORY 


OF   THE 


EMPIRE  STATE, 

FOR 

SCHOOLS  AND  FAMILIES. 

BY 

WELLAND     HENDRiCK. 

THIRD  EDITION,   WITH   REVISIONS. 


SYRACUSE,  X.  Y.: 
C.  W.  BARDEEN,  PUBLISHER, 

1892. 


Copyright,  189O,  by  C    W.  BARDEEN. 


THE  SCHOOL  BULLETIN  PUBLICATION'S.- 


Helps  in  Teaching  History. 

I.  A  Tliousand  Questions  in  American  History.    Cloth,  ICmo,  pp.  247. 
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This  work  shows  rare  breadth  of  view  and  discrimination,  dealing  not 
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PREFACE. 


When  I  began  to  teach  American  history  in  the  schools  of  New 
York,  I  looked  for  a  brief  school  history  of  the  State.  The  book 
had  to  be  written. 

The  study  of  the  history  of  New  York  has  a  place  in  its  schools  : 

1.  The  colony  in  its  origin  and  growth  was  separate  from  the 
other  colonies  ;  for  fourteen  years  after  the  end  of  English  domin- 
ion, the  State  was  an  independent  nation  ;  and  ever  since,  as  a  part 
of  the  American  republic,  it  has  had  a  distinct  life. 

2.  Pupils  commonly  have  a  vague  idea  of  the  isolation  of  the 
original  colonies  and  of  the  relation  of  the  States  under  the  confed- 
eration.    During  these  periods  a  State  history  has  a  unity  which 
a  general  history  lacks.     The  best  point  of  view  for  a  beginner  is 
the  account  of  some  one  colony,  in  which  he  can  trace  the  colony's 
earliest    connection    with    neighboring  provinces,   its  decreasing 
dependence  upon  the  mother  country,  its  consequent  change  from 
a  colony  to  a  State,  and  the  reluctant  but  necessary  giving  up  of 
State  rights  in  the  formation  of  a  strong  central  government. 

3.  The  study  of  State  history  is  a  study  of  civil  government.     It 
is  a  common  experience  that  pupils,  after  taking  up  United  States 
history,  cannot  distinguish  between  the  duties  of  the  State  govern- 
ment and  of  the  national  government.     It  is  the  State  which  has  to 
do  with  the  every  day  life  of  the  citizen  ;  and  what  a  State  is,  is 
best  learned  in  its  history. 

4.  The  importance  of  New  York  in  the  making  of  America  has 
been  underrated.     The  Minute  Men,  Fanueil  Hall  and  the  battle 
of  Lexington  are  known  ;  but  the  Sons  of  Liberty,  the  Fields  and 


2130246 


VI  HISTORY    OP  THE   EMPIRE   STATE. 

the  battle  of  Oriskany  are  uncertain  terms  even  to  the  people  of 
New  York.  How  the  colony  learned  liberty  under  the  Dutch,  and 
held  to  it  through  a  century  of  English  governors  ;  how  the  State, 
fifth  in  number  of  people,  with  almost  a  third  of  its  men  tories, 
with  border  open  and  chief  city  sure  to  be  the  enemy's  headquar- 
ters, with  much  wealth  in  perishable  shipping, — how  such  a  State 
was  among  the  first  in  the  war  for  freedom,  and  alone  of  the  thir- 
teen met  every  demand  of  congress  ;  how  the  commonwealth  built 
a  canal  which  not  only  developed  its  interior,  but  also  opened  up 
the  great  north-west ;  how  all  these  things  were  done,  ought  to  be 
taught  with  patriotic  pride  to  the  pupils  of  our  public  schools. 


It  has  been  my  aim  to  prepare  a  brief  history  of  New  York  suitable 
for  general  reading,  adapted  to  be  a  text-book  for  a  short  term's 
work  in  the  grammar  or  academic  grades,  and  especially  fitted  for 
a  reader,  either  regular  or  supplementary,  in  any  grade  of  work 
after  the  fifth  or  sixth  year. 

It  might  be  well  for  a  class  to  read  or  study  this  book  after  it  has 
had  a  primary  history  of  the  United  States,  and  before  it  takes 
up  the  advanced  study  of  that  subject ;  or  the  history  of  New  York 
may  with  profit  be  studied  in  connection  with  United  States  history. 

In  fact  the  history  of  New  York  properly  taught  is  a  history  of 
the  United  States ;  and  the  teacher,  who  brings  out  in  class  the 
facts  here  suggested  but  not  detailed,  can  make  the  study  a  unified 
and  graphic  story  of  the  republic. 

The  book  labors  to  be  a  consistent  State  history ;  it  does  not 
assume  to  give  an  account  of  national  wars,  presidential  campaigns 
and  international  affairs  ;  it  refers  to  such  topics  only  so  far  as  they 
throw  light  on  the  story  of  New  York.  Men  and  affairs  learned  in 
United  States  history  may  sometimes  be  found  here  in  changed 
relations  ;  Hamilton,  who  devoted  his  genius  to  the  nation,  receives 
less  attention  than  DeWitt  Clinton,  who  gave  his  life  to  the  State. 


PREFACE.  Vll 

Possibly  the  book  lacks  features  that  may  be  expected  :  it  is  not 
filled  with  praise  of  New  York  to  the  exclusion  of  all  censure  ;  it 
does  not  insult  the  intelligence  of  the  bright  boys  and  girls  of  the 
junior  grades  by  telling  its  story  in  baby-talk  ;  it  does  not  relegate 
the  gist  of  a  page  to  fine-print  notes  at  the  bottom ;  it  does  not 
crowd  the  account  of  the  people,  their  customs  and  education,  into 
the  end  of  chapters,  as  if  such  matters  were  not  indeed  the  truest 
part  of  all  history. 

While  the  book  is  not  the  result  of  original  research,  a  wide 
range  of  aiithorities  has  been  consulted,  and  the  main  facts  selected 
and  briefly  put.  Mention  should  be  made  in  this  connection  of  the 
history  of  New  York  by  Ellis  H.  Roberts  in  the  American  common- 
wealth series,  and  of  Mrs.  Lamb's  History  of  New  York  City. 

W.  H. 

SARATOGA  SPRINGS,  N.  Y.,  August  21,  1890. 


A  BRIEF  HISTORY  OF  NEW  YORK  STATE. 


CHAPTEK  I. 


INTRODUCTORY. 

Three  men,  Columbus,  Cabot,  and  Hudson,  introduce  the  history 
of  New  York  State.  One  found  the  West  Indies;  another  dis- 
covered the  mainland  and  coasting  southward  may  have  seen  the 
low-lying  land  of  Long  Island;  while  Henry  Hudson,  one  hundred 
and  seventeen  years  after  the  first  voyage  of  Columbus,  sailed  into 
the  bay  of  New  York.  It  is  possible  that  an  Italian  in  the  service 
of  France,  nearly  a  century  before,  found  this  bay  and  looked  upon 
the  river;  it  is  certain  that  the  Frenchman,  Champlain,  two  months 
before  the  arrival  of  Hudson's  Dutch  crew,  stood  on  the  soil  of  the 
State;  but  the  fame  of  Hudson  is  none  the  less.  He  may  well  be 
called  the  discoverer  of  New  York ;  he  first  made  known  to  the 
world  the  advantages  of  the  ample  harbor, — the  harbor  that  makes 
New  York  city  the  commercial  capital  of  America. 

The  Land  and  the  People. — But  it  is  not  upon  this  harbor 
alone  that  the  importance  of  the  State  rests;  its  soil  and  its  geograph- 
ical position  fit  it  for  an  empire.  Within  its  boundaries  the  white 
man  found  the  Iroquois,  the  conquering  Indians  of  America.  These 
red  men  were  superior  to  other  Indians;  they  lived  in  houses,  had 
fields  of  corn,  beans  and  tobacco,  made  earthenware,  baskets  and 
ropes,  and  the  five  tribes,  Mohawks,  Oneidas,  Onondagas,  Cayugas 
and  Senecas  were  joined  in  a  rude  republic.  These  people  were 

(9) 


10 


INTRODUCTORY. 


[Introductory 


known  and  feared  all  east  of  the  Mississippi;  but  they  chose  a  place 
for  their  corn  fields  and  log  houses  in  central  New  York,  and 
near  the  present  site  of  Syracuse  they  had  their  council-fire  or 
capitol.  From  this  advantageous  centre  they  could  go  north  by 
Lake  Ontario  and  the  St.  Lawrence,  east  by  the  Mohawk,  south  to 
the  Atlantic  by  the  Susquehanna,  south  to  the  inland  by  the  Alle- 
gany  and  Ohio,  west  by  the  great  lakes.  "  New  York,"  says  Ban- 
croft, "united  richest  lands  with  the  highest  adaptation  to  foreign 
and  domestic  commerce." 

The  Iroquois  occupied  the  Mohawk  valley  and  central  and  western 
New  York,  while  they  left  the  eastern  and  south-eastern  parts  to 
weaker  Algonquin  tribes,  among  whom  were  the  Mohegans  on  the 
east  bank  of  the  Hudson  and  the  Delawares  along  the  river  of  that 
name.  To  the  north  and  in  Canada  were  other  bands  of  Algonquins 
who  long  waged  unsuccessful  warfare  with  the  Iroquois.  These 
weaker  Indians  implored  the  help  of  the  French;  for  French  adven- 
turers and  traders  had  built  forts  along  the  St.  Lawrence  seventy 
years  before  Hudson's  ship  anchored  off  Sandy  Hook. 

Champlain,  the  "Father  of  New  France,"  was  finally  per- 
suaded by  the  neighboring  friendly 
Indians  to  join  in  an  expedition 
against  the  Iroquois.  He  went  up 
the  Sorel,  found  the  lake  to  which 
he  gave  his  name,  and  on  its  banks 
in  Essex  county  met  the  Iroquois. 
Here  on  a  July  morning  of  1G09  the 
Indians  of  New  York  first  saw  the 
white  man  and  heard  the  noise  of  his 
gun.  They  ran.  For  Champlain  it 
was  an  easy  victory;  but  it  was  a 
SAMUEL  CHAMI-LAIX.  fatal  blunder.  Without  knowing  it 

he  had  made  lasting  enemies  of  the  fiercest  warriors  of  the  conti- 


Chap.  I]  DIVISION  IXTO   PERIODS.  11 

nent.  Again  Champlain  tried  to  penetrate  the  State  from  Lake 
Ontario,  and  getting  as  far  as  Madison  county  went  back  defeated. 
Again  other  Frenchmen  tried  to  gain  a  foothold  in  New  York 
State  and  failed  because  of  the  enmity  of  the  Iroquois.  Thus  on 
the  north  the  French  were  kept  from  New  York  while  on  the  south. 
the  feeble  colonies  of  the  Dutch  and  English  grew  strong  and  held 
the  land. 

Periods. — The  recorded  history  of  New  York,  which  begins  with 
Champlain's  battle  on  the  shore  of  the  lake,  easily  separates  into 
five  periods. 

Period  First. — The  Rule  of  the  Dutch, — extending  from  the 
discovery  by  Hudson  in  1609  to  the  surrender  to  the  English  in 
1664.  In  this  period  the  Dutch  discover  and  settle  the  land  about 
the  Hudson  and  on  Long  Island. 

Period  Second. — The  Rule  of  the  English, — extending  from  the 
surrender  to  the  English  in  1664  to  the  flight  of  the  English  gover- 
nor in  1775.  In  this  period  the  colonists  increase  rapidly;  they 
drive  back  the  French  and  find  English  rule  unbearable. 

Period  TJiird. — New  York  as  a  Sovereign  State, — extending 
from  the  flight  of  the  English  governor  in  1775  to  the  inauguration 
of  Washington  in  1789.  In  this  period  the  State  joins  with  twelve 
other  States  in  a  war  of  independence,  is  one  of  a  weak  confederacy, 
and  finally  becomes  part  of  a  strong  nation. 

Period  Fourth. — The  Development  of  the  State, — extending  from 
the  inauguration  of  Washington  in  1789  to  the  completion  of  the 
Erie  canal  in  1825.  In  this  period  the  State  builds  a  waterway  of 
national  importance  and  advances  from  the  rank  of  fifth  to  the  rank 
of  first  in  wealth  and  population. 

Period  Fifth. — The  Era  of  Progress, — extending  from  the  com- 
pletion of  the  Erie  canal  in  1825  to  the  latter  part  of  the  nineteenth 
century.  In  this  period  the  State  maintains  its  right  to  the  name 
of  the  Empire  State. 


CHAPTEE  II. 


THE  KULE  OF  THE  DUTCH. — 1609-1664. 

Henry  Hudson. — It  was  in  July  of  1609,  as  has  been  said,  that 
Champlain  first  entered  the  State  of  New  York.  It  was  on  the 
third  of  September  of  the  same  year  that  Hudson  discovered  New 
York  bay.  Henry  Hudson  was  an  Englishman  who  engaged  in  the 
service  of  some  Amsterdam  merchants  and  set  out  to  find  a  north- 
east passage  to  India.  The  daring  sailor  left  Holland  in  the  little 
ship,  the  Half  Moon,  and  tried  to  reach  India  by  sailing  north  of 


HUDSON'S  SHIP. 

(12) 


Chap.  II]  HENKT   HUDSON.  13 

Sweden.     He  was  driven  back  by  the  ice,  but,  still  unwilling  to 
give  up,  turned  straight  about  to  find  a  westerly  way  to  Asia. 

He  touched  first  the  shores  of  New  Foundland,  steered  south, 
mended  his  sails  in  Maine,  saw  Chesapeake  bay,  and  turning  back 
to  the  north  entered  the  river  to  which  others  have  given  his  name. 
Knowing  nothing  of  the  breadth  of  the  continent,  he-  hoped  that 
the  stream  would  prove  a  passage  to  the  Pacific;  but  when  he  had 
followed  the  river  for  over  a  hundred  miles  and  found  it  growing 
shallow,  he  turned  back;  then  having  spent  about  a  month  inside 
Sandy  Hook,  he  steer,ed  out  into  the  deep,  never  again  to  return. 
On  his  next  voyage,  still  looking  for  a  north-west  passage,  he  en- 
tered Hudson  Bay.  Here  with  his  little  son  he  was  set  adrift  by 
his  rebellious  crew  and  perished. 

The  First  Settlements. — Although  the  Cabots  had  discovered 
the  continent  more  than  a  hundred  years  before  the  voyage  of  the 
Half  Moon,  yet  the  favored  spot  thus  found  by  the  Dutch  was  in  the 
midst  of  a  vast  unclaimed  wilderness.  Hundreds  of  miles  to  the 
south  were  a  few  starving  Englishmen  at  Jamestown;  far  to  the 
north  were  camps  of  French  traders  among  the  snows  of  Nova, 
Scotia  and  Montreal;  all  else  was  forest  and  savages.  The  May- 
flower had  not  sailed.  When  another  or  perhaps  a  second  summer 
came  around,  the  Indians,  who  had  watched  the  sails  of  Hudson 
disappear,  gladly  welcomed  the  ships  of  some  Dutch  fur  traders. 
These  men  bought  and  sold  and  went  back. 

Thus  they  continued  going  and  coming,  until  in  the  fourth  year 
after  the  discovery  the  traders  built  a  few  huts  on  Manhattan, 
Island,  so  that  it  is  said  that  New  York  was  settled  in  1613.  Soon 
after,  a  strong  building  was  put  up  where  the  foot  of  Broadway  now 
is,  to  serve  as  a  store-house  and  fort.  About  the  same  time  the 
adventurous  traders  made  their  way  nearer  the  heart  of  the  fur 
trade  and  built  a  fort  on  Castle  Island,  below  the  present  Albany. 


14 


THE   RULE   OF   THE   DUTCH. 


[Period  I 


But  cabins,  forts,  and  store-houses  did  not  really  make  a  settle- 
ment; they  were  shelters  but  not  homes. 


THE  FIRST  WAREHOUSE. 

Discoveries  and  Claims. — While  many  of  the  thrifty  Dutch 
were  busy  bartering  their  brass  trinkets  and  fiery  liquor  for  the 
skins  of  otters  and  beavers,  other  visitors  to  the  new  land  were  fol- 
lowing the  lead  of  Hudson  and  examining  the  coasts.  Captain 
May  sailed  about  Delaware  Bay  and  left  his  name  on  its  northern 
cape.  Adrian  Block,  "  first  of  European  navigators  steered  through 
Hellgate"  and  sailed  on  Long  Island  Sound;  he  discovered  the 
Connecticut  river  and  found  and  named  Rhode  Island  and  Block 
Island. 

From  the  discoveries  of  Hudson,  Block  and  others  the  Dutch 
laid  claim  to  the  land  and  gave  it  a  name.  The  Delaware  they 
called  the  South  river;  the  Connecticut  the  Fresh  river;  the  Hud- 
son the  North  river  or  the  Mauritius  (maw-rish-i-us).  They  called 
the  country  New  Netherland,  and  claimed  that  it  extended  from  the 
fortieth  to  the  forty-fifth  parallel  of  latitude.  Later  on  they  de- 
fined New  Netherland  as  lying  between  the  Delaware  and  Cape 


Chap.  II] 


DISCOVERIES   AND    CLAIMS. 


15 


Cod,  and  in  later  years  they  would  have  been  glad  to  fix  the  Con- 
necticut river  as  the  northern  and  eastern  boundary. 

The  First  Homes. — These  claims  were  held  simply  by  trading 
posts  until  fifteen  years  after  the  discovery  of  Hudson,  when  thirty 
families  of  persecuted  French  protestants  came.  They  were  the 
first  white  people  who  made  the  land  of  New  York  their  home. 
Eight  of  these  families  settled  on  the  lower  end  of  Manhattan 
island  ;  and  about  them  grew  the  town  called  later  New  Amster- 
dam, destined  to  become  New  York  city.  Other  families  went 
to  the  New  Jersey  shore,  where  the  land  was  called  Pavonia. 
Eastward  across  the  river  from  Manhattan  on  Long  Island  a 
little  company  of  these  people  took  the  name  Breukelen  (Brook- 
lyn). A  few  went  to  the  Connecticut  river  and  some  to  the  Delaware 


fort  n-ie-uw    tStmflerJ.ci.-m.  op 


SKETCH  op  NEW  AMSTESBAM.    (.Made  by  a  Dutch  officer  in  1635.) 


16  RULE  OF  THE  DUTCH.  [Period  I 

river,  while  others  sailed  a  short  distance  above  the  abandoned  fort 
on  Castle  Island  and  built  Fort  Orange,  the  beginning  of  the  city 
of  Albany.  v 

These  families  were  sent  out  by  a  society  of  Dutch  merchants 
called  the  Dutch  West  India  company,  an  organization  which 
had  been  chartered  a  few  years  before  and  which  had  received 
the  entire  control  of  New  Netherland.  The  government  of  Hol- 
land still  retained  supreme  authority  over  the  territory;  but  all  the 
internal  affairs  of  the  colony  rested  with  the  stockholders  of  th  * 
West  India  company. 


Patroons.  —  Beside  sending  these  families,  the  company 
further  encouraged  settlements  by  the  patroon  system.  They  gave 
the  right  to  any  one  who  would  establish  a  colony  of  fifty  persons, 
to  have  and  to  hold  forever  a  tract  of  land  fronting  sixteen  miles 
on  the  water  and  running  back  indefinitely,  provided  however  that 
the  rights  of  the  Indians  were  purchased.  These  large  land  owners 
were  called  patroons.  One  of  the  most  famous  of  these  patroons 
was  Kilian  Van  Rensselaer  (kee-le-an  van  ren'-sel-er)  whose  land,  now 
in  the  counties  of  Albany,  Columbia  and  Rensselaer,  was  known  as 
Rensselaerwick.  The  patroons  brought  many  people  to  New  Neth- 
erland;  but  as  they  had  almost  boundless  control  over  their  settle- 
ments, they  frequently  quarreled  with  the  West  India  company, 
with  the  colonists  and  with  the  governors. 

The  Goyerment.  —  The  first  governor,  or  rather  director-general, 
as  he  was  called,  was  Peter  Minuet,  who  was  sent  by  the  company 
and  who  began  his  rule  in  1626.  Two  years  before,  Captain  May 
had  charge  of  the  colony  ;  but  there  was  no  formal  government 
until  the  arrival  of  Minuet.  He  had  a  council  of  five  to  assist  him 
and  he  appointed  others  to  act  as  secretaries,  sheriffs,  collectors, 
and  the  like  ;  but  in  the  choice  of  none  of  these  officers  did  the 
people  have  a  part.  Later  on  the  colonists  secured  slight  changes 


Chap.  II]  THEIR   GOVERNMENT.  17 

in  the  laws  of  the  colony  ;  but  never  did  they  obtain  from  Dutch 
rulers  that  the  voice  of  the  people  should  be  heard  in  their  own 
government. 

During  the  thirty-eight  years  in  which  the  Dutch  had  a  formal 
government,  four  director-generals  were  in  turn  at  the  head  of  the 
colony :  Peter  Minuet,  Walter  Van  Twiller,  William  Kieft  (keeft), 
and  Peter  Stuyvesant  (stl-ve-sant).  The  acts  of  these  men  were  of 
little  account ;  all  of  them  did  something  for  themselves  and  for 
the  stockholders  who  sent  them ;  none  of  them  accomplished  much 
for  the  people.  Says  some  one  rather  severely :  "  Minuet  was  a 
self-willed  and  self-seeking  adventurer,  Van  Twiller  a  drunken  and 
indolent  fool,  Kieft  a  conceited  and  tyrannical  bankrupt,  Stuyve- 
sant a  despotic  and  passionate  autocrat. " 

The  first  twelve  years  of  authority  was  equally  divided  between 
Minuet  and  Van  Twiller.  The  first  governor  was  accused  of  fav- 
oring the  patroons,  and  was  recalled.  Van  Twiller,  who  has  been 
made  so  laughable  by  Washington  Irving,  seemed  to  spend  most  of 
his  small  energy  in  personal  quarrels.  He  wrangled  with  his 
officers,  got  into  a  dispute  with  the  minister  of  the  little  church, 
and  in  turn  was  denounced  from  the  pulpit.  In  his  place  William 
Kieft  was  sent.  Where  Van  Twiller  was  slow  and  inefficient, 
Kieft  was  hasty  and  rash.  To  this  rashness  he  added  dishonesty, 
and  in  the  ten  years  that  he  was  director -general  he  brought  the 
colony  to  the  verge  of  ruin. 

The  Indians. — The  greater  part  of  Kieft's  violent  energy  was 
spent  upon  the  Indians.  The  decade  in  which  he  ruled  was  a  time 
of  Indian  warfare.  For  the  most  part  the  colony  had  used  the  red 
men  well  and  in  return  had  received  less  trouble  from  them  than 
had  the  neighboring  settlements.  The  great  industry  of  New 
Netherland  was  the  fur  trade;  and  for  the  success  of  this  traffic  peace 
with  the  Indians  was  necessary.  So  the  Dutch  were  ever  on  good 


18 


THE   RULE   OF   THE    DUTCH. 


[Period  I. 


terms  with  the  Iroquois,  while  the  farmers  and  fishermen  of  Xew 
England  were  fighting  King  Philip,  and  the  tobacco  raisers  of  Vir- 
ginia were  suffering  from  the  attacks  of  the  tribe  of  Powhatan. 

The  Dutch  made  it  a  rule  to  buy  the  land  which  they  occupied 
from  the  Indian  owners.  One  of  the  first  acts  of  Director  Minuet 
was  to  purchase  Manhattan  Island  for  twenty-four  dollars,  at  the 
rate  of  one  cent  for  ten  acres,  paid  in  gay  clothing,  beads,  and 
brass  ornaments.  So  from  the  days  of  Henry  Hudson  for  thirty 
years  the  savages  did  not  trouble  the  colony.  Soon  after  Kieft's 
arrival  he  found  cause  for  dispute  with  the  Earitan  Indians  on  the 
New  Jersey  coast.  He  sent  murdering  expeditions,  offered  prizes 
for  their  heads,  and  caused  Staten  Island  to  become  a  slaughter 
ground. 


PURCHASE  op  MANHATTAN-  ISLAND. 


Chap.  II]  GROWTH   OF  THE    COLONY.  19 

The  result  of  this  was  a  gathering  of  the  river  Indians  for  the  de- 
struction of  the  settlements.  Still  war  could  have  been  avoided  by 
prudent  means.  It  happened  at  this  time  that  the  Mohawks,  of 
the  Iroquois  tribes,  had  bought  for  a  round  price  in  furs  a  few 
muskets,  and  were  driving  before  them  the  Indians  of  the  lower 
Hudson.  The  fugitives  gathered  around  the  Dutch  settlements 
and  asked  for  protection.  Some  of  them  camped  at  Pavonia ;  and 
while  they  were  there  a  band  of  blood-thirsty  colonists  and  soldiers 
easily  got  permission  of  Kieft,  rowed  across  the  river  in  a  cold  win- 
ter night,  and  before  sunrise  foully  butchered  eighty  men,  women, 
children,  and  babes.  At  Corlear's  Hook,  the  foot  of  the  modern 
Grand  street,  they  murdered  forty  more.  This  was  in  1643. 

For  two  years  the  red  men  of  Long  Island  and  the  Hudson  val- 
ley, thus  wantonly  provoked  and  further  incited  by  the  brandy 
sold  them,  kept  up  a  bloody  contest.  They  drove  the  whites  from 
the  farms  and  villages  until  they  forced  them  into  Manhattan 
island.  Outside  of  this  retreat  only  G-ravesend,  Eensselaerwick, 
and  Fort  Orange  were  secure  from  attack.  Many  of  the  people 
returned  to  Holland ;  those  who  were  left  feared  the  Indians  and 
detested  Kieft;  the  settlements  were  in  ruins  and  Manhattan  could 
count  but  one  hundred  male  citizens.  Finally  when  a  thousand 
Indians  had  been  slain,  and  the  very  life  of  the  colony  was  in 
danger,  peace  was  made  with  the  aid  of  the  friendly  Iroquois,  and 
the  colony  began  a  new  era  of  prosperity. 

Growth  of"  the  Colony. — The  settlements  had  increased,  not 
rapidly,  but  sturdily.  When  Minuet  came  to  be  governor,  New 
ISTetherland  had  a  population  of  two  hundred  people.  Twenty 
years  later,  at  the  close  of  Kieft's  administration,  this  number  had 
been  increased  ten-fold.  These  people, — no  more  than  now  are 
gathered  in  some  of  the  small  villages  of  the  State, — lived  on  the 
lower  end  of  Manhattan  island ;  at  Pavonia ;  at  Brooklyn,  which 
then  stood  a  mile  back  from  the  river ;  at  Fort  Orange;  at  Fort 


20 


THE    RULE   OF   THE  DUTCH. 


[Period  I 


Good  Hope,  now  Hartford ;  while  farms  spread  over  parts  of  the 
present  counties  of  Albany,  Rensselaer,  Westchester,  Richmond, 
Kings,  and  Queens.  In  the  latter  days  of  Dutch  rule  Esopus  (e-so'- 
pus),  now  Kingston,  was  a  brisk  place  on  the  Hudson;  and  Schenec- 
tady,  first  of  the  towns  in  the  rich  valley  of  the  Mohawk,  was 
begun.  By  this  time  it  is  estimated  that  the  province  had  eight 
thousand  inhabitants ;  while  the  future  metropolis  had  a  popu- 
lation of  two  thousand  people. 

The  People  of  New  Netherland. — These  eight  thousand  peo- 
ple were  by  no  means  all  from  Holland.     No  other  Amer- 
ican settlement  had  so  varied  a  class  of  inhabitants  as 
had  New  York.     "  New  York  was  always  a  city  of 
the  world."     The  colony  by  its  offers  of  relig- 
ious freedom  attracted  the  persecuted  from 
France,    Germany,    Bohemia,    and  all 
countries  of  Europe.     And  to  the 
shame  of  the  colony  it  must 
be    said   that    African    slaves 
were  of  its  population,  brought 
in  during  the  first  year  of  Min- 
uet's  directorship,  and    after- 
wards greedily  bought  until  the 
slave  element  became  a  source 
of  danger.     The  most  energetic 
part  of  the  community  came 
from  the    neighboring    settle- 
ments of  New  England,  some  to- 
seek  superior  soil,  others  to  es- 
cape the  persecution  of  the  zeal- 
ous   Puritans.     Among    these 
were  many  Quakers  and  sturdy 
men  most  needed  in  the  mak- 


NEW  NETHERLAND 
1609-1664. 


ing  of  a  state. 


Chap.  II]  TROUBLES   OF   THE   COLONY.  21 

Stuyvesant. — Such  citizens  could  not  tamely  submit  to  be  mis- 
ruled; they  sent  to  Holland  many  bitter  complaints,  and  welcomed 
with  joy  the  recall  of  Kieft  and  the  appointment  of  Peter  Stuyve- 
sant. This  man,  whose  fame  preceded  him,  was  perhaps  the  best 
as  he  was  the  last  of  the  Dutch  governors.  He  had  lost  a  leg  in 
valiant  service  in  the  West  Indies,  and  as  he  landed  on  a  May  day 
of  1647  at  the  port  of  New  Amsterdam  he  stumped  proudly  along  on 
his  wooden  leg,  determined  to  conquer  the  huge  difficulties  which 
confronted  him.* 

The  Swedes. — Four  dangerous  elements  surrounded  the  new 
ruler, — the  Swedes  on  the  Delaware,  the  English  on  Long 

Island  and  on  the  Connecticut  river,  the 
Indians,  and  the  rapidly  growing  party 
in  New  Amsterdam  who  wanted  a  voice 
in  making  the  laws  and  the  rulers. 
The  Swedes  early  clainjed  the  attention 
of  Stuyvesant.  About  the  time  that 
Kieft  became  director,  a  party  from 
Sweden,  led  by  Peter  Minuet,  smarting 
under  his  dismissal  from  the  director- 
STUYYESANT'S  SEAL.  ship,  settled  on  the  south  bank  of  Dela- 

ware bay.  Here  on  land  claimed  to  belong  to  New  Netherland 
they  built  Fort  Christiana  (kris-te-ah'-na),  on  the  site  of  Wil- 
mington, defied  Kieft,  and  captured  the  Dutch  fort,  Casimir. 
They  gave  up  however  both  strongholds  to  Stuyvesant  on  his  ar- 
rival in  the  bay  with  a  fleet  and  six  hundred  men ;  so  that  land 
now  in  the  state  of  Delaware  was  for  a  time  under  the  government 
at  New  York  city. 

Further  Indian  Troubles. — While  Stuyvesant  was  attending 
to  these  matters  on  the  Delaware,  the  Indians  took  the  opportunity 


*  His  portrait  faces  the  title-pa^e  of  this  volume. 


22  THE   RULE   OF   THE  DUTCH.  [Period  I 

to  raid  Hoboken  and  Pavonia ;  they  killed  a  hundred  settlers,  and 
threatened  another  general  outbreak.  The  governor  on  his  return 
checked  the  slaughter,  and  by  his  prudent  efforts  to  defend  the 
colony  rather  than  to  kill  off  the  Indians  soon  secured  lasting  peace; 
so  never  again  was  Manhattan  in  fear  of  savage  war. 

The  English. — When  the  governor  turned  his  attention  toward 
the  English  on  the  Connecticut  he  found  thrifty  colonies.  In  the 
days  of  Van  T wilier  the  Dutch  had  bought  of  the  Pequod  Indians  a 
tract  of  land  where  Hartford  now  stands,  and  had  there  built  Fort 
Good  Hope.  A  few  weeks  later  some  people  from  Massachusetts 
sailed  up  the  river,  defied  the  guns  of  the  little  fort,  and  settled 
Windsor.  Soon  the  Dutch  fort  was  surrounded  by  the  farms  of  the 
energetic  Puritans.  Van  Twiller  sent  a  company  of  seventy  men  to 
take  an  English  fort  at  Weathersfield ;  they  started  with  much 
noise  of  drunl  and  with  boasting ;  they  came  back  without  making 
an  attack.  !^k 

These  Dutch  on  the  eastern  outpost  of  New  Netherland  were 
traders  and  so^iers;  they  grew  discontented  and  died  off.  Their  Eng- 
lish neighbors  were  farmers;  they  took  large  harvests  from  the  soil, 
brought  up  increasing  families,  and  were  content.  They  filled 
eastern  Long  Island;  they  crept  into  Wrestchester;  they  were  likely 
to  occupy  the  upper  valley  of  the  Hudson,  cut  off  the  fur  trade  of 
the  Dutch,  and  hem  them  in  on  a  narrow  strip.  When  Stuyve- 
sant  took  the  colony  in  hand  he  saw  that  the  best  that  he  could 
do  was  to  agree  on  a  favorable  boundary  and  give  up  all  claim  to 
the  valley  of  the  Connecticut.  He  conceded  to  the  English  all  of 
Long  Island  that  is  now  Suffolk  county,  running  the  dividing  line 
south  from  Oyster  Bay,  and  gained  a  promise  that  on  the  main 
land  the  Connecticut  boundary  should  not  come  within  ten  miles 
of  the  Hudson  river. 

This  treaty  was  never  ratified  by  the  English  government ;  it  was 
not  respected  by  the  colonists  who  made  it.  On  Long  Island  they 


Chap.  II.]  DISSATISFACTION   OP  THE    PEOPLE.  23 

over-stepped  the  dividing  lines.  Stuyvesant  sailed  around  to  Bos- 
ton to  protest ;  but  he  only  showed  his  weakness.  "  Connecticut/' 
said  her  agents  at  another  time,  "by  its  charter  extends  to  the 
Pacific." — "Where  then  is  New  Netherland?"  asked  the  Dutch 
envoys. — "That/*  said  the  English  coolly,  "we  do  not  know/' 

Dissatisfaction  of  the  People. — But  the  danger  fatal  to 
Dutch  interests  was  neither  the  Swedes,  the  Indians,  nor  the  Eng- 
lish. The  very  people  of  the  colony  oppressed  by  the  greed  of 
the  West  India  company  chafed  under  the  control  of  Holland. 
There  were  high  taxes  on  things  bought  and  sold,  on  produce  sent 
abroad,  on  goods  received.  In  return  the  company  promised  to 
build  defences  and  take  the  care  necessary  for  settlements  in  a 
wilderness.  It  failed  to  do  so  ;  the  company  itself  did  not  prosper, 
but  became  bankrupt,  and  left  the  people  without  suitable  protec- 
tion from  Indians  and  rival  colonists. 

There  was  no  public  spirit,  for  no  one  had  a  voice  in  the  laws. 
Wealth  could  purchase  certain  privileges,  but  majjfliood  had  no 
rights.  The  settlers  looked  to  their  neighbors,  theNew  England 
colonists,  and  saw  more  prosperous  communities  making  their  own 
laws  in  town  meeting,  and  providing  promptly  for  their  defence. 
The  comparison  of  the  two  provinces  was  surely  not  to  the  credit 
of  the  Dutch.  Nor  were  there  wanting  plenty  of  English  in  New 
Netherland  to  call  the  attention  of  the  Dutch  to  these  facts.  The 
English  became  so  numerous  that  an  English  secretary,  English 
preachers,  and  the  writing  of  the  laws  in  English  became  necessary. 
During  the  Indian  war  John  Underbill,  a  former  resident  of  Con- 
necticut, who  had  gained  fame  in  the  Pequod  war,  was  put  at  the 
head  of  the  Dutch  troops.  The  keen  Yankees  daily  increased  and 
thrived  among  the  Dutch;  they  became  their  merchants,  taught 
their  schools,  married  their  daughters,  gave  them  their  first  lesson 
in  resistance  to  tyrants. 


84  THE   RULE   OF  THE   DUTCH.  [Period  I 

The  People  Recognized. — Director  Kieft  had  seen  during  the 
troublesome  days  of  his  rule  that  he  must  make  a  pretense  of  ask- 
ing the  wishes  of  the  common  people.  So  as  a  matter  of  policy  he 
requested  the  patroons  and  heads  of  families  to  select  a  committee 
of  twelve  to  advise  together  for  the  welfare  of  the  colony.  These 
twelve  men  were  the  first  representative  body  of  the  people  of  the 
State  of  New  York.  Afterward  there  was  a  committee  of  a  smaller 
number  known  as  the  eight  men.  As  long  as  these  committees 
favored  higher  taxes  and  Kieft's  plans  against  the  Indians,  he  will- 
ingly heeded  them ;  when  they  opposed  his  schemes  and  demanded 
just  laws  for  the  inhabitants  of  the  province,  he  sent  them  home. 

His  successor,  Stuyvesant,  allowed  the  towns  of  New  Amsterdam, 
Brooklyn,  Gravesend,  and  Amersfoort  (Flatlands),  to  elect  eighteen 
delegates,  from  whom  he  chose  nine  men  to  act  as  magistrates  and 
as  a  body  of  advisers.  But  neither  he  nor  the  company  would  give 
them  any  real  power.  He  answered  the  respectful  appeals  of  the 
people  :  "  Laws  will  be  made  by  the  director  and  council.  Shall 
the  people  elect  their  own  officers  ?  Every  man  will  vote  for  one 
of  his  own  stamp.  The  thief  will  vote  for  the  thief,  and  fraud  and 
vice  will  become  privileged  ! "  He  was  praised  by  the  company. 
"  Have  no  regard  to  the  consent  of  the  people/'  said  they ;  "  let 
them  indulge  no  longer  the  visionary  dream  that  taxes  can  be  im- 
posed only  with  their  consent. " 

The  Surrender. — But  the  people  continued  to  dream.  The 
assembly  was  dismissed.  Yet  again  in  1663  the  stubborn  governor 
was  forced  to  allow  another  assembly  from  the  villages  to  be  called. 
Troubles  were  coming  fast :  Esopus  was  burned  by  the  Indians ; 
Long  Island  towns  were  revolting ;  at  Gravesend,  almost  within 
sight  of  New  Amsterdam,  the  Dutch  flag  was  torn  down  and  the 
English  colors  shown  ;  the  Connecticut  Yankees  had  bought  of  the 
Indians  land  up  to  the  Hudson  ;  rumors  of  the  coming  of  an  Eng- 
lish fleet  were  in  the  air.  The  rumors  had  truth  in  them. 


Chap.  II] 


ESTD   OF   THE    DUTCH  RULE. 


Late  in  August  of  the  year  1664,  a  fleet  with  English  soldiers 
and  with  men  of  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut  anchored  in 
Gravesend  Bay.  The  defences  of  the  city  were  weak;  many  of  the 
people  were  willing  to  try  English  rule  ;  the  burgomasters  advised 
surrender.  "I  would  rather  be  carried  to  my  grave/'  said  the  un- 
conquerable Stuyvesant.  But  without  death  or  wound,  on  the 
third  of  September,  fifty-five  years  to  a  day  from  Hudson's  discov- 
ery, the  people  of  New  Netherland  took  the  authority  into  their 
own  hands,  agreed  to  deliver  it  to  the  English,  and  brought  the 
rule  of  Stuyvesant  to  an  end. 

His  bravery  earned  a  better  fate.  As  the  hired  agent  of  the 
West  India  Company  he  did  as  they  directed.  His  ideas  of 
human  liberty  were  too  narrow  to  allow  him  to  see  that  his  duty  to 
his  employers  was  at  enmity  with  a  higher  duty  to  the  people.  But 
he  had  the  good  of  the  colony  at  heart.  With  the  settlers  he  quietly 
spent  his  after  life,  and  among  the  busy  streets  of  the  great  city, 
which  once  as  a  village  he  governed,  is  his  grave. 


riCbiefof  Amsterdam 
now  caflecl  New  -"Yb 


and  theDutchWe  A-Lidia  Islands 


STUTVESANT'S  TOMB.— (St.  Mark's  Church,  New  York  City.) 


CHAPTER  IIL 


THE   PEOPLE  OF  NEW   NETHERLAND. 

Why  the  Dutch  Lost  New  York. — Holland  did  not  lose  New 
Netherland  because  inferior  as  a  nation  to  England.  The  Dutch 
Republic  during  the  first  half  of  the  seventeenth  century  was  one 
of  the  great  powers  of  Europe  ;  she  had  gained  her  independence 
from  the  tyranny  of  Spain  ;  her  capital,  Amsterdam,  was  the  com- 
mercial centre  of  the  world ;  her  victorious  admiral,  Von  Tromp 
(tromp)  swept  the  seas  with  a  broom  at  his  mast  head ;  her  schools, 
writers  and  statesmen  were  among  the  most  famous  of  Europe. 

Nor  did  the  Dutch  lose  their  colony  because  their  title  to  the 
land  was  less  valid  than  that  of  England.  They  based  their  claim 
first  on  the  discovery  of  Hudson,  secondly  on  actual  settlement, 
thirdly  on  purchase  of  the  land  from  the  Indians.  The  sole  title 
of  the  English  to  the  soil  lay  in  the  coasting  voyages  of  the  Cabots 
from  New  Foundland  to  Maryland  over  a  hundred  and  fifty  years 
before.  The  rights  of  the  Indians  they  counted  as  nothing. 

The  Dutch  lost  New  York  because  as  traders  and  soldiers  they 
could  not  hold  the  land  against  the  English  farmer.  The  contest 
for  the  Connecticut  valley  was  the  critical  event.  To  a  great  extent 
the  Dutch  farmers  along  the  Hudson  rented  their  land  of  the 
patroons  and  hence  were  not  attached  to  the  soil  as  were  the  Xew 
England  settlers  who  owned  the  land  which  they  plowed.  The 
Dutch  Republic  blundered  when  it  gave  New  Netherland  into  the 
hands  of  a  money-getting  company ;  the  West  India  company 
blundered  when  it  gave  its  best  lands  to  the  king-like  patroons. 


Chap.  Ill]  LEADING   MEN   OF  THE   COLONY.  27 

Leading  Men. — During  the  fifty  years  of  Dutch  control  the 
simple  affairs  of  the  small  band  of  colonists  called  forth  few 
men  worthy  to  be  remembered.  Of  the  governors  Stuyvesant 
was  the  only  one  of  ordinary  ability.  Among  the  patroons  was 
David  Pietersen  de  Vries  (pee-ter-sen  deh  vrees)  who  defended  the 
interests  of  the  people;  he  had  the  courage  to  censure  Van  Twiller 
for  his  inefficiency  and  to  oppose  the  fool-hardy  projects  of  Kieft. 
He  was  president  of  the  Twelve,  that  germ  of  a  government  of  the 
people.  Finally  having  been  ruined  by  the  Indian  war  he  went 
back  to  Holland.  When  parting  with  Kie.ft  he  said ,"  The  murders 
in  which  you  have  shed  so  much  innocent  blood  will  yet  be  avenged 
on  your  own  head ; "  a  prophecy  soon  fulfilled  by  the  shipwreck  of 
the  governor  when  recalled  to  Holland. 

Another  leader  of  the  people  was  Dominie  John  Megapolensis, 
who  came  as  a  minister  to  Rensselaerwick.  He  carried  the  gospel 
to  the  Indians,  who  had  already  heard  something  of  the  story  of 
the  cross  from  the  French  priests  of  Canada.  Later  the  good 
Magapolensis  lived  on  western  Long  Island  and  always  appeared 
as  the  champion  of  the  people. 

The  one  man  who  without  rank  or  wealth  rose  from  among  the 
ordinary  colonists  to  make  his  mark  in  history  was  Arendt  Van 
Curler.  He  was  the  first  white  man  from  the  Dutch  settlements  to 
penetrate  the  Mohawk  valley.  He  reported  the  lands  "  the  most 
beautiful  that  eye  ever  saw/'  Van  Curler  or  Corlear  as  the  Indians 
called  him  secured  the  love  and  trust  of  the  Iroquois  to  a  wonder- 
ful degree.  To  them  he  was  the  greatest  of  white  men  and  ever 
afterward  they  called  the  governor  of  New  York  "Brother 
Corlear."  During  the  last  years  of  Dutch  rule  ho  pushed  out  from 
Fort  Orange  with  a  company  of  colonists  and  settled  Schenectady, 
long  the  outpost  of  the  great  west. 


28 


THE    PEOPLE   OF    NEW   XETHERLAXD. 


[Period  I 


The  Common  People. — Though  the  colony  produced  few  men 
of  note,  the  general  character  of  the  people  was  of  a  high  order ; 
they  were  thrifty,  neat  and  industrious.  "They  brought  over 
with  them  the  liberal  ideas  and  homely  virtues  and  honest  maxims 
of  their  country/'  There  were  few  that  were  lazy,  and  no  paupers. 
They  had  little  mercy  for  criminals ;  a  man  for  stealing  some  "nose- 
cloths  "  was  banished ;  a  slanderer  had  a  red  hot  iron  stuck  through 
his  tongue.  "Women  were  forbidden  to  scold ;  and  for  that  and  like 
offences  there  was  a  ducking  stool  on  Manhattan  island  near  the 
water's  edge.  Just  in  front  of  the  fort  was  a  gallows,  one  of  the 
first  objects  to  be  seen  by  the  new-comer  sailing  up  the  bay  to  New 
Amsterdam. 

New  Amsterdam. — That  settlement  had  been  incorporated  as  a 
separate  village  in  1653,  when  it  had  less  than  a  thousand  people. 
It  was  some  years  before  the  first  street  was  paved  with  stone  ;  and 
there  was  much  trouble  because  the  "broad-way"  leading  from  the 
fort  was  rooted  up  by  hogs.  Thereupon  a  city  ordinance  was  made, 
hardly  necessary  in  modern  New  York,  compelling  the  owners  to 
stick  rings  through  the  hogs'  noses.  All  over  the  new  city  the 
gardens  and  yards  were  luxurious  with  cabbages  and  tulips.  The 


VIEW  or1  NEW  AMSTERDAM   :s  IGoo. 


Chap.  Ill] 


HOUSES   OF   THE    COLONY. 


29 


homes,  first  of  logs,  soon  came  to  be  like  the  odd  looking,  comfort- 
able dwellings  of  the  mother  country. 

Houses. — The  Dutch  house,  still  to  be  seen  in  old  towns  about 
the  Hudson,  stood  gable  end  to  the  street.  The  front  wall  was 
generally  of  brick  or  stone,  while  the  rest  of  the  house  was  wooden, 
and  instead  of  slanting  to  a  point,  like  the  tiled  roof,  the  wall  went 
up  to  a  peak  in  steps  like  a  pair  of  stairs.  Scattered  about  on  the 


DUTCH  HOUSES  IN  NEW  AMSTERDAM. 

front  of  the  house  were  large  iron  figures  which  told  the  date  of  the 
building.  Deep-seated  windows  with  small  panes  of  glass  looked 
upon  the  street,  and  on  a  dark  night  contained  a  lighted  candle ; 
while  the  lighting  of  Kew  Amsterdam's  streets  was  further  secured 
by  requiring  every  seventh  householder  to  "  hang  out  a  Ian  thorn  and 
candle  on  a  pole."  Within  were  broad  halls,  sanded  floors,  large 
rooms  in  front,  where  the  good  vrow  gave  weekly  vent  to  her 
passion  for  cleaning  house,  and  small  rooms  in  the  rear  where  the 
family  lived.  The  furniture  was  ponderous,  the  articles  of  cooking 


30  THE   PEOPLE   OF   NEW   NETHERLAND.  [Period  I 

were  quaint  and  ungainly  to  modern  eyes,  and  the  huge  Dutch 
oven  was  the  pride  of  the  house. 


Stadthuys. 
(STATEHOCSE.) 

Daily  Life. — If  we  are  to  gather  our  ideas  of  the  early  Dutch 
•settlers  from  Washington  Irving's  Knickerbocker's  History  of  Xew 
York,  the  founders  of  the  metropolis  ate  breakfast  at  sunrise,  dined 
at  eleven,  and  at  sunset  went  to  bed.  They  ate  potatoes,  cabbages, 
asparagus,  and  barley  bread  ;  had  plenty  of  game  and  poultry  for 
their  table ;  delighted  in  clams,  calling  them  clippers,  and  in 
doughnuts,  calling  them  olykoeks ;  drank  much  buttermilk  and 
tea,  and  smoked  immoderately. 


Chap.  Ill]  CUSTOMS  OF  THE  COLONY.  31 

Dress. — The  hair  of  the  women  was  "pomatumed  back  from 
their  foreheads  with  a  candle  and  covered  with  a  cap  of  quilted 
calico/'  "Their  petticoats  of  linsey-woolsey  were  striped  with  a 
variety  of  gorgeous  dyes  "and  "scarce  reached  below  the  knee/'' 
Mynheer  (mm-her)  wore  about  his  ample  form  a  linsey-wolsey  coat, 
the  work  of  his  good  vrow  (frow),  as  was  most  of  the  clothing  of  the 
family.  A  hat  very  low  in  the  crown  and  very  broad  in  the  brim  sat 
upon  his  head ;  large  brass  buttons  decked  his  coat  and  immense 
shining  buckles  set  off  his  shoes  ;  while  his  many  pairs  of  galligas- 
kins or  breeches  were  drawn  on  one  above  another  until  they  ren- 
dered him  still  more  portly  than  nature  intended. 

Religion. — Good  natured  as  their  habits  show  them  to  be,  the 
early  Dutch  of  New  York  were  likewise  liberal  in  their  views  of 
religious  liberty.  New  Netherland  gave  a  hearty  welcome  to  peace- 
able comers  of  every  religious  belief  with  the  same  spirit  in  which 
Holland  harbored  the  Puritans  from  England.  The  colony  did  not 
reach  the  high  standard  of  perfect  religious  liberty,  first  known  in 
Ehode  Island  ;  but  it  stood  far  in  advance  of  the  narrow  policy  of 
Massachusetts  and  Virginia. 

There  was  a  recognized  religion  of  the  government,  that  of  the 
Dutch  Eef ormed  church ;  and  Stuyvesant,  who  carried  his  military 
spirit  into  religion  as  well  as  into  politics,  tried  to  drive  out  a  rival 
body,  the  Lutheran  church  ;  but  he  was  rebuked  by  the  West  India 
company,  and  saw  the  persecuted  sect  flourish.  A  few  Quakers 
were  banished  but  for  the  most  part,  they  were  gladly  received. 
Catholics,  Protestants,  and  Jews  worshipped  as  they  liked  ;  and  in 
the  latter  days  of  Dutch  dominion  there  were  said  to  be  fourteen 
organized  denominations  in  the  province,  more  indeed  than  there 
were  ministers. 

The  first  minister,  Everardus  Bogardus,  came  with  Van  Twiller. 
The  salary  of  one  of  his  brother  ministers  has  been  left  on  record 
as  being  one  hundred  and  fifty  beaver  skins,  lawful  coin  of  the 


32  THE   PEOPLE  OF  NEW  NETHERLAND.  [Period  I 

realm.  The  minister  of  New  Netherland,  or  "dominie"  as  he  was 
called,  while  he  was  not  the  important  officer  that  he  was  in  the 
austere  Puritan  settlements,  was  held  by  the  jolly  burghers  in  high 
esteem. 

Education. — In  the  same  ship  with  Dominie  Bogardus  came  the 
pioneer  school-master  of  New  York  State,  Adam  Roelandsen. 
Probably  as  the  most  of  his  calling  did  in  those  days,  he  added 
to  his  income  by  digging  graves,  ringing  the  church  bell  and 
leading  the  choir.  The  patroon  act  required  a  school  teacher 
to  be  placed  on  each  of  the  estates  ;  and  in  general  the  state  papers 
of  the  colony  recognized  the  importance  of  education.  But  evi- 
dently the  practice  of  the  money-getting  settlers  did  not  keep  pace 
with  their  theories.  Still  they  took  care  that  a  school  teacher 
should  be  found  in  every  village ;  and  in  one  case  the  tuition  was 
announced  as  two  beaver  skins  a  year.  In  Stuyvesant's  time  a 
Latin  school  of  some  fame  was  established  at  New  Amsterdam. 

The  Result  Of  Dutch  Customs  can  still  be  easily  traced 
among  the  people  of  the  first  settled 
towns,  where  an  ancestry  running  back 
to  the  first  comers  is  often  proudly 
claimed.  To  the  Dutch  we  owe  our  Santa 
Glaus  and  St.  Nicholas,  colored  eggs  at 
Easter,  and  the  custom  of  New  Year's 
calls  so  lately  dying  out. 

To  the  Dutch  we  owe  much  that  is  sub- 
stantial in  the  growth  of  the  State;  though 
a,  1623.  often  amid  change  and  rapid  progress  we 
have  lost  sight  of  the  source.  To  the  Dutch  we  certainly  owe  above 
all  else  the  principles  of  commercial  integrity  and  of  far-sighted 
business  policy,  which,  brought  from  the  old  Amsterdam  to  the 
new,  became  the  foundation  of  the  greatness  of  New  York  State. 


Chap.  HI]  SUMMARY   OF   PERIOD   I.  33 

SUMMARY   OF   EVENTS, — PERIOD    FIRST. 

1497-98.  Probable  voyage  of  the  Cabots  past  Long  Island  coast. 
1524.         Doubtful  discovery  of  New  York  bay  by  Verrazani. 
1609.         Hudson's  discovery. 

Discovery  of  Lake  Champlain. 

1613.  Building  of  traders'  huts  on  Manhattan  island. 

1614.  Building  of  Fort  Nassau  on  Castle  island. 
Block's  discovery  of  the  Connecticut. 

1615.  Champlain's  second  expedition  into  New  York. 
1621.         The  Dutch  West  India  company  chartered. 

1623.  Arrival  of  the  first  families  in  New  Netherland. 

1624.  May  director. 

1625.  Verhulst  director. 
Brooklyn  settled. 

1626.  Minuet  director-general. 

Manhattan  island  bought  of  the  Indians. 
1629.         Privileges  granted  to  patroons. 
1633.         Van  Twiller  director-general. 

Fort  Good  Hope  built  on  the  Connecticut. 
1638.         Kieft  director-general. 

Arrival  of  the  Swedes  in  Delaware. 

1640.  War  with  the  Raritan  Indians. 

1641.  Appointment  of  the  twelve  men  as  representatives. 
1643.         Murder  of  the  Indians  at  Pavonia. 

General  Indian  outbreak. 
1645.         Peace  made  by  the  settlers  and  Iroquois  with  the  river 

tribes. 

1647.         Stuyvesant  director-general. 
1653.         An  assembly  of  the  villages  called. 
1655.         Dutch  conquest  of  New  Sweden. 

Indian  outbreak  around  Manhattan  island. 
1661.         Schenectady  founded  by  Arendt  Van  Curler. 
1664.         Surrender  to  the  English. 


IT. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


NEW  YORK  UXDER  THE  DUKE  OF  YORK. — 1664-1688. 

About  the  time  of  the  discovery  of  New  York,  a  company  of  Eng- 
lish Puritans,  persecuted  for  their  religion,  fled  to  Holland.  They 
asked  the  Dutch  authorities  to  be  allowed  to  settle  in  the  new  coun- 
try. They  were  refused  and  sailing  for  English  soil  landed,  as  the 
world  knows,  at  Plymouth  Rock,  on  the  twenty-first  of  December, 
1620.  This  was  three  years  before  the  arrival  of  the  first  families  in 
New  Netherland.  Had  the  Puritans'  request  been  granted,  the 
entire  history  of  America  would  have  been  changed. 

The  Duke  Of  York. — These  men  of  New  England  by  emi- 
grating to  New  Netherland  helped  to  accomplish,  what  the  Dutch 
authorities  had  at  first  feared,  the  capture  of  the  province  by  the 
British  crown.  Meanwhile  in  England  the  Puritans  had  driven  out 
the  king  and  placed  Oliver  Cromwell  at  the  head  of  the  government. 
Soon  after  Cromwell's  death,  however,  Charles  II.  returned  to  the 
throne,  in  1660 ;  and  one  of  his  first  acts  was  to  give  to  his  brother, 
James,  Duke  of  York,  all  the  land  lying  between  the  Connecticut 
and  Delaware  rivers.  The  Duke  to  secure  this  gift,  which  was  not 
his  brother's  to  give,  armed  and  sent  out  a  fleet  under  the  command 
of  Colonel  Richard  Nichols.  The  easy  conquest  of  Nichols  was  a 
deed  of  robbery.  There  was  not  even  the  excuse  of  war,  since  Hol- 
land and  England  were  at  peace.  So  that  it  is  little  to  the  credit 
of  the  conquerors  that  they  offered  the  surprised  garrison  favorable 
terms  and  encouraged  the  Dutch  settlers  to  remain  on  their  lands. 

(34) 


Chap.  IV]  THE   FIRST   ENGLISH   GOVERNOR.  35 

The  Beginning  of  English  Rule. — The  eight  or  nine  thousand 
colonists  now  found  themselves  in  a  province  named  New  York,  in 
honor  of  the  Duke.  New  York  was  the  name  given  to  New  Am- 
sterdam also,  and  as  if  that  was  not  enough,  the  fort  was  called 
Fort  James  and  Fort  Orange  was  called  Albany  from  another  title 
of  the  Duke.  The  director-general  became  governor ;  the  burgo- 
masters, magistrates ;  the  schepens,  aldermen  ;  the  schouts,  sheriffs; 
the  koopmen,  secretaries.  But  the  change  in  the  affairs  of  the 
colony  was  mostly  a  ehange  of  name.  True,  the  people  received 
assurance  of  religious  liberty,  equal  taxation,  toleration  of  former 
customs  and  the  security  of  land  titles  ;  but  they  obtained  nothing 
of  the  coveted  New  England  liberty,  no  right  to  elect  their  officers 
and  to  levy  the  taxes. 

The  First  English  Governor,  to  whom  all  this  power  was 
given,  was  Colonel  Nichols  himself.  The  most  important  of  his 
-appointments  was  that  of  Thomas  "Willet  to  be  the  first  mayor  of 
New  York  city, — a  city  which  was  then  incorporated  after  the 
manner  of  English  towns.  Nichols  had  received  from  the  Duke  on 
leaving  England  minute  orders  for  the  government  of  the  colony 
which  he  was  expected  to  seize.  These  instructions  placed  in  his 
hands  more  power  than  the  governor  of  any  other  English  colony 
in  America  had, — more  power  than  even  the  Dutch  governors  had 
possessed.  In  many  respects  Nichols  was  no  more  able  ruler  than 
were  the  Dutch  director-generals ;  but  he  had  one  quality  which 
they  had  not — the  tact  to  manage  the  people. 

He  needed  all  his  ingenuity,  for  he  had  to  control  a  people 
two-thirds  of  whom  had  customs  and  a  language  different  from  his 
own  ;  and  he  had  to  levy  heavy  taxes  in  order  to  prepare  the  forts 
for  the  expected  attempt  of  Holland  to  regain  the  stolen  colony. 
He  succeeded  in  making  himself  more  popular  with  the  Dutch  than 
with  the  English.  The  Puritan  inhabitants  of  Long  Island  and 
Westchester,  a  part  of  the  colony  then  known  as  Yorkshire,  had 


36  NEW   YORK   UNDER  THE   DUKE   OF   YORK.          [Period  II 

been  brought  up  to  believe  in  the  town  meetings  of  New  England  ;. 
and  at  an  assembly  called  to  meet  at  Hempstead,  thirty-four  dele- 
gates appeared  and  asked  for  the  right  to  elect  their  officers.  This, 
they  were  refused  by  the  governor,  and,  having  nothing  else  to  do, 
obediently  agreed  to  a  code  of  laws  made  out  by  the  Duke  and 
known  as  "The  Duke's  Laws." 

Neighboring  Colonies. — The  grant  to  the  Duke  of  York  was, 
as  has  been  said,  of  the  land  between  the  Connecticut  and  the  Del- 
aware ;  and  the  same  paper  gave  him  a  claim  to  all  of  the  islands 
betAveen  Cape  Cod  and  Cape  May.  Connecticut,  however,  had  no 
more  intention  of  giving  her  settlements  on  eastern  Long  Island 
and  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Connecticut  river  to  an  English  colony 
than  to  the  Dutch;  but  rather  than  quarrel  with  Nichols,  her  people 
agreed  to  leave  the  disputed  boundary  to  a  commission.  The  men 
thus  appointed  gave  to  New  York  all  of  Long  Island,  much  to  the 
disgust  of  its  eastern  towns,  and  to  Connecticut  a  favorable  boun- 
dary on  the  main  land,  about  indeed  as  it  now  remains. 

When  Governor  Nichols  saw  such  a  considerable  portion  taken 
from  the  eastern  side  of  his  province,  he  turned  to  the  western 
boundary,  and  found  there  a  still  larger  part  gone  ;  for  the  Duke, 
unknown  to  Nichols,  had  given  to  Lord  Berkeley  and  Sir  George 
Carteret  the  land  lying  between  the  Hudson  and  the  Delaware. 
To  this  caprice  of  the  Duke  is  due  the  fact  that  there  is  a  State  of 
New  Jersey,  and  that  New  York  is  not  bounded  on  the  south  by 
Delaware  bay.  For  some  years  still  the  present  State  of  Delaware 
was  a  part  of  New  York  until  bought  by  William  Penn  ;  and  for  a 
long  time  tribute  was  exacted  from  Nantucket  and  Martha's 
Vineyard. 

Change  of  Governor;  Condition  of  the  Colony. — What 
was  left  of  the  Duke's  grant  was  quite  enough  to  worry  the  well- 
meaning  Nichols.  The  work  was  hard,  the  honor  and  pay  small; 
and  he  obtained  his  recall.  A  little  later  while  fighting  the  very 


Chap.  IV]         NEW  YORK  AGAIN    A  DUTCH  COLONY.  37 

nation  from  whom  he  had  stolen  a  colony,  he  was  killed.  His  four 
years'  rule  must  in  the  main  be  called  creditable,  and  was  espe- 
cially acceptable  to  the  Indians,  the  importance  of  whose  good  will 
he  clearly  saw. 

In  his  place  came  Lord  Lovelace,  a  favorite  of  the  English  court, 
who  soon  incurred  the  dislike  of  the  people.  Ten  towns  sent  in  a 
petition  against  unjust  taxation,  only  to  have  their  paper  burned 
by  the  common  hangman  and  to  be  told  by  their  governor  that 
' l  the  people  should  have  liberty  for  no  thought  but  how  to  pay 
their  taxes."  Still  the  colony  was  not  entirely  mismanaged.  The 
Hollanders  were  encouraged  to  mingle  with  the  English  and  to 
adopt  the  customs  of  their  rulers.  The  Indians  were  kept  on 
friendly  terms  and  their  lands  fairly  bought. 

But  in  the  decade  following  the  surrender  of  Stuyvesant  the  col- 
ony did  not  prosper.  The  trade  with  England  did  not  equal  the 
interrupted  traffic  with  Holland  ;  wars  in  Europe  prevented  immi- 
gration and  interfered  with  commerce.  A  letter  to  the  Duke 
described  Long  Island  as  "very  poor  and  inconsiderable,  and  besides 
the  city  of  New  York,"  said  the  writer,  "  there  are  but  two  Dutch 
towns  of  any  importance,  Esopus  and  Albany."  New  York  city 
contained  less  than  four  hundred  houses ;  though  it  appears  as  a 
sign  of  progress  that  a  line  of  post  messengers  was  at  this  time 
established  between  that  city  and  Boston,  along  paths  marked  by 
blazed  trees. 

New  York  again  a  Dutch  Colony. — The  Dutch  Kepublic  was 
now  at  war  with  England.  Holland  had  already  by  treaty  given  up 
her  claims  to  New  York  in  return  for  Dutch  Guiana  (ge-a'-na),  and 
other  territory  much  more  profitable  in  those  days  than  New  Neth- 
erland  had  been.  A  large  Dutch  fleet  coasting  off  Chesapeake  bay 
in  the  summer  of  1673  captured  a  vessel  carrying  some  passengers 
from  New  York  to  Virginia.  From  these  the  Dutch  learned  of  the 
dilapidated  condition  of  Fort  James,  that  the  fort  had  but  about 


38  NEW  YOEK   UNDER  THE   DUKE  OF  YORK.        [Period  II 

thirty  cannon  and  a  garrison  of  seventy-five  men,  and  that  Gov- 
ernor Lovelace  was  visiting  his  neighbors  at  New  Haven. 

The  fleet  of  twenty-three  ships  with  sixteen  hundred  men  aboard 
anchored  off  Sandy  Hook  and  was  joyfully  visited  by  some  of  the 
Dutch  citizens  of  New  York.  In  a  few  days  the  ships  passed 
through  the  Narrows  and  approached  the  city.  Captain  Manning, 
who  had  been,  under  Nichols,  the  first  English  commander  at 
Albany,  was  now  in  the  absence  of  Governor  Lovelace  in  charge  of 
New  York  city.  He  called  upon  the  citizens  for  help  ;  but  many 
of  them  were  now  as  anxious  to  go  back  to  Dutch  authority  as  they 
had  been  to  leave  it  nine  years  before.  They  spiked  all  the  cannon 
within  their  reach  and  gathered  militia  to  help  the  invaders. 

Manning  dejnanded  of  Cornelis  Evertsen,  the  admiral  in  com- 
mand of  the  fleet,  "  Why  do  you  disturb  his  majesty's  subjects  in 
this  place  ?"  and  received  in  reply,  "The  place  is  our  own  and  our 
own  we  will  have."  Manning  asked  for  a  day  to  think  about  it ; 
he  was  given  half  an  hour.  When  the  sands  of  Evertsen's  hour 
glass  showed  the  half -hour,  the  Dutch  gave  the  fort  a  broadside, 
killed  some  of  the  garrison  and  in  return  received  some  damage 
from  the  guns  of  the  fort.  Meanwhile  some  of  the  ships  moving 
above  the  city  landed  six  hundred  men  at  the  foot  of  the  modern 
Wall  street.  This  number  was  swelled  to  a  thousand  by  eager  citi- 
zens, and  with  Anthony  Colve  at  their  head  they  began  their  march 
down  Broadway.  The  gutters  of  the  street  would  soon  have  run 
with  the  blood  of  citizens  capturing  their  own  city  had  not  Captain 
Colve  met  a  messenger  from  Manning  with  an  offer  of  surrender. 
After  nine  years  of  English  rule,  New  York,  taken  fairly  in  time 
of  war,  was  again  in  Dutch  possession. 

The  Last  of  Dntch  Rule. — The  other  settlements  surrendered 
at  once,  and  New  Jersey  readily  came  back  under  the  sway  of  the 
troops  at  New  York  city,  or  rather  at  New  Orange,  as  the  place 
was  re-named.  The  victorious  admiral  put  the  province  under 


Chap.  IV] 


ADMINISTRATION   OF   ANDROS. 


-, 


military  law  and  appointed  the  rough  and  pompous  Captain  Colve 
as  governor.  He  was  planning  a  government  for  the  colony  when 
he  received  important  orders  from  Holland.  That  nation  had,  six 
months  after  the  capture  of  New  York,  made  a  treaty  of  peace  with 
England.  In  this  treaty  each  country  agreed  to  deliver  to  the  other 
all  territory  captured  during  the  war.  So  when  Colve  had  cared 
for  the  colony  for  fifteen  months,  he  quietly  gave  it  up  on  the  arrival 
of  the  English  officers  Bent  to  receive  it. 

The  Reason  for  the  Dutch  surrendering  a  colony  unfairly  taken 
away  and  honestly  regained,  does  not  plainly  appear  ;  either  they 
had  so  promised  before  aware  of  the  complete  conquest  of  Admiral 
Evertsen,  or  they  feared  that  they  could  not  hold  the  territory  against 
the  encroachments  of  the  neighboring  English,  or,  as  is  most  prob- 
able, they  did  not  know  the  full  value  of  a  colony  which  had 
already  cost  them  more  than  it  had  returned.  At  least,  true  it  is 
that  England  thus  secured  an  uninterrupted  coast  line  from  Maine 
to  Georgia  and  made  a  United  States  possible.  "  Our  country  ob- 
tained geographical  unity. " 

Administration  of  Andros. — In  November,  1674,  New  York 

finally  passed  from  the  hands 
of  the  Dutch  to  remain  for  one 
hundred  years  an  English  prov- 

^li^l^Bg  ince.      The    Duke    of    York 

tightened  his  grasp  on  the 
colony;  to  cover  all  doubt  he 
secured  a  new  grant  from  the 
king  ;  he  gave  again  New  Jer- 
sey to  Carteret  and  sent  to  New 
York  as  governor,  Major  Ed- 
mund Andros,  who,  he  doubt- 
ed not,  would  be  thoroughly 
alive  to  his  master's  interests. 
For  ten  years  Major  Andros 


40 


NEW   YORK    UNDER   THE   DUKE   OF   YORK.        [Period  II 


was  busy  with  the  affairs  of  the  colony  ;  now  he  was  penetrating  into 
the  far  west  of  the  unsettled  Mohawk  valley,  viewing  the  fertile 
flats  and  making  friends  of  the  Indians ;  now  he  was  sending  to 
Martha's  Vineyard  to  assert  the  claims  of  the  Duke.  He  assumed 
that  New  Jersey  was  still  under  his  control,  and  went  so  far  as  to 
arrest  Governor  Carteret.  He  renewed  the  old  contest  with  Con- 
necticut, landed  in  force  at  Saybrook  and  demanded  the  surrender  of 
the  fort.  Being  refused  he  read  the  grant  of  the  Duke  and  his  own 
commission  ;  and  when  these  selections  did  not  soften  the  hearts  of 
the  Connecticut  Puritans,  Andros  sailed  sadly  home. 


VIEW  OF  THE  WATER  GATE  (Wall  Street)  in  Andros'  Administration. 

Condition  of  the  Colony. — In  1G78,  Governor  Andros  while 
visiting  England  left  on  record  an  account  of  his  colony.  New  York 
since  Stuyvesant's  surrender  had  doubled  its  eight  thousand  inhabi- 
tants ;  about  three  thousand  of  these  were  in  Xew  York  city.  This 
place  was  built  up  at  the  expense  of  the  rest  of  the  province  by  the 
bolting  act,  which  for  many  years  gave  the  city  the  sole  right  of 
bolting  and  exporting  flour  from  the  colony. 

But  its  growth  was  slow  compared  with  its  progress  in  the  nine- 
teenth century  ;  at  the  close  of  the  seventeenth  century  the  north- 


Chap.  IV]  CONDITION-   OF  THE   COLONY.  41 

ern  limit  of  the  city  was  a  palisade  wall,  the  present  Wall  street. 
Beyond  this  were  a  few  houses  here  and  there,  a  burying  ground, 
and  a  few  huge  Dutch  wind-mills  ;  further  on,  farms,  and  then  a 
rocky  wilderness.  A  mile  from  the  town,  the  law  allowed  wood  to 
be  cut ;  in  the  numerous  ponds,  fresh  water  fish  could  be  taken ; 
the  hunting  too  was  good,  probably,  for  a  visitor  tells  of  treeing  a 
bear  in  an  orchard  where  Maiden  Lane  now  is. 

In  the  city  itself,  the  fort  was  the  first  object  that  greeted  the 
sight  of  the  ships  coming  up  the  bay ;  within  this  was  a  church ; 
and  leading  from  it  was  a  "  Broad  way."  Within  the  corporation 
were  numerous  swamps,  ponds  and  creeks,  and  there  had  been  ill- 
smelling  tanneries  and  slaughter  houses,  which  were  then  ordered 
out  of  the  city  limits.  North  of  the  city,  where  the  Tombs  prison 
is  now,  was  a  lake  known  as  the  Fresh  Water  pond.  Six  public 
wells  were  dug  in  the  middle  of  the  streets,  not  so  much  for  the 
bad-tasting  water  as  for  a  protection  against  fire. 

Long  Island. — Two  English  visitors  at  this  time  tell  how  they 
were  rowed  across  East  river  in  the  ferry  boat ;  upon  landing  they 
went  "up  a  hill,  along  open  roads  and  woody  places,  and  through 
a  village  called  Breuckelen,  (Brooklyn),  which  has  a  small  ugly 
church  in  the  middle  of  the  road."  They  slept  in  the  house  of  one 
Simon  DeHart,  a  house  still  standing,  and  supped  on  oysters,  veni- 
son, and  wild  turkey.  They  were  surprised  at  the  apples,  peaches, 
grapes,  and  "great  heaps  of  watermelons."  All  kind  of  fish 
abounded  ;  oysters  were  plentiful ;  drift  whales  were  frequently  cast 
upon  the  beach  of  the  island  ;  while  off  the  coast,  whalers  could  cap- 
ture their  huge  game. 

The  Civilization. — In  the  eastern  part  of  Long  Island  schools 
were  well  sustained ;  but  elsewhere  the  children  of  the  colonists 
were  no  better  educated  than  under  Dutch  rule.  Some  of  the  peo- 
ple could  afford  to  have  private  teachers  ;  some  sent  their  children 


42  NEW   YORK   UNDER  THE   DUKE   OF   YORK.       [Period  II 

to  New  England  schools  ;  but  the  mass  of  the  people  were  ignorant 
and  superstitious.  As  a  result  many  of  the  laws  were  barbarous  ; 
stealing  might  be  punished  with  death  ;  or  the  thief  was  branded 
with  a  T  on  the  cheek ;  stocks,  pillories,  placards  and  other  means 
of  exciting  derision  were  common  punishments.  The  Sunday  laws 
were  strict ;  the  Connecticut  blue  laws  were  scarcely  more  so.  "  No 
youths,  maydes  or  other  persons/'  said  the  law,  "  may  meet  together 
for  sporte  or  play." 

Trade  and  Money. — No  pedlers  were  allowed  to  compete  with 
the  regular  tradesmen  of  the  place,  except  that  Indians  might  bring 
in  wood  and  long  strips  of  bark  for  gutters  or  eaves-troughs.  These 
neighboring  Indians,  in  the  great  lack  of  servants,  were  often  en- 
slaved until  a  law  of  the  colony  forbade  ;  but  the  traffic  in  negroes 
thrived  and  the  common  price  paid  for  a  slave  was  one  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars.  Dollars  and  cents  were  of  course  not  known  ;  and  al- 
though large  sums  were  reckoned  in  English  pounds  and  shillings, 
yet  Dutch  guilders,  Indian  wampum  and  beaver  skins  were  the  com- 
mon money  in  business.  The  bare  necessities  and  a  few  comforts 
contented  the  people  ;  a  little  ready  money  went  a  long  ways  ;  five 
thousand  dollars  was  a  fortune,  while  half  that  sum  made  a  rich 
man. 

The  colony  shipped  from  its  ports,  wheat,  tar,  lumber,  tobacco 
and  especially  pelts  and  furs.  On  goods  brought  to  the  port  of  New 
York  there  was  a  duty  of  two  per  cent,  if  they  came  from  England; 
while  goods  from  other  countries  paid  ten  per  cent.  These  rates 
were  not  so  burdensome  as  were  the  taxes  on  property  and  produce  ; 
which  duties  were  established  in  the  early  days  of  English  rule  and 
still  continued. 

The  Dongan  Charter. — That  these  taxes  and  laws  did  not 
please  the  people  their  protests  and  petitions  leave  no  doubt.  Even 
Andros,  ever  a  friend  of  arbitrary  power,  counseled  the  Duke  to 
give  the  people  a  voice  in  the  government.  When  William  Penn 


Chap.  IV] 


DONGAN'S  ADMINISTRATION. 


43 


added  his  advice,  the  proprietor  yielded  and  promised  an  assembly- 
He  did  not  trust  this  work  to  Andros,  but  giving  him  other  duties,, 
sent  Thomas  Dongan  to  be  governor.  Of  Thomas  Dongan  it  can 
be  said,  that  he  was  the  first  governor  of  New  York  who  had  the: 


GOVERNOR  DONGAN'S  HOUSE. 

breadth  of  brain  and  the  trueness  of  heart  which  make  a  statesman. 
He  first  accorded  to  the  common  man  of  the  colony  his  rights ; 
ignoring  petty  quarrels  at  home  and  with  neighboring  colonies,  he 
disclosed  and  combated  the  encroachments  of  the  great  enemy  to 
English  rule  in  New  York  and  in  America, — the  French. 

According  to  his  instructions  his  first  act  was  to  call  an  assem- 
bly of  seventeen  from  New  York  city,  Long  Island,  Staten  Island, 
Esopus,  Albany,  Rensselaerwick,  Pemaquid,  and  Martha's  Vine- 
yard to  act  with  the  council  of  ten  in  forming  a  constitution.  On 
the  seventeenth  of  October,  1683,  some  seventy-five  years  after  the 
discovery  of  New  York,  the  representatives  of  the  citizens  adopted 
a  charter  for  their  own  government.  Other  colonies  had  charters 
brought  from  England ;  this  constitution  was  the  product  of 


YORK    UNDER  'THE    DUKE   OF   YORK.       [Period  II 


44 

America.  By  its  terms,  "  Supreme  power  shall  forever  be  and 
reside  in  the  governor,  council  and  people  met  in  general  assem- 
bly." It  secured  the  right  to  vote,  trial  by  jury,  taxation  by  the 
assembly,  and  complete  religious  freedom.  By  its  order  an  assem- 
bly of  twenty-one  representatives  was  to  meet  once  in  three  years  ; 
and  in  order  to  apportion  the  members  the  colony  was  divided  into 


Tax  COLONY  OP  NEW  YORK,  SHOWING  THE  ORIGINAL  TEN  Cocxnzs. 


Chap.  IV]  DIVISION  INTO  TWO  PARTIES.  45 

ten*  counties  :  Suffolk,  Queens,  Kings,  New  York,  Richmond  and 
Westchester,  which  remain  nearly  as  first  constituted,  and  Orange, 
Ulster,  Dutchess  and  Albany,  which  have  since  been  divided. 

The  Charter  Revoked. — Although  this  charter  was  ratified  by 
the  Duke,  it  was  a  matter  of  bargain ;  for  he  stipulated  that  the 
assembly  should  in  return  vote  heavy  taxes.  Soon  he  openly  disre- 
garded his  pledge  by  levying  taxes  without  the  consent  of  the  peo- 
ple. Two  years  after  he  agreed  to  the  charter,  by  the  death  of  his 
brother,  Charles  II.,  he  became  king  with  the  title  of  James  II. 
He  then  began  to  plot  the  complete  subjection  of  all  the  American 
colonies  to  his  will.  He  undertook  to  unite  all  the  northern  colo- 
nies except  Pennsylvania  under  one  governor.  For  this  purpose  he 
chose  Edmund  Andros  and  stationed  him  at  Boston.  Not  finding 
Governor  Dongan  a  fit  tool  he  sent  to  New  York  one  Nicholson,  as 
lieutenant-governor  under  Andros.  • 

Two  Parties. — This  quick  destruction  of  their  long  sought 
liberty  stirred  up  a  rebellious  feeling  more  fierce  than  the  spirit 
which  in  earlier  days  prompted  petitions  and  protests.  But  the- 
people  no  longer  were  united  in  their  action;  they  were  slowly  divid- 
ing into  two  parties.  One  class  known  as  aristocrats  or  tories  was 
made  up  of  the  soldiers  and  the  many  royal  officers  stationed  in  the 
colony  ;  to  these  were  added  many  of  the  settlers,  who  grown  rick 
were  aping  the  customs  and  ideas  of  the  aristocratic  party  of  Eng- 
land. Against  the  combination  of  tories,  governor  and  king,  the. 
party  of  the  people,  the  democratic  party,  waged  a  long  and  deter- 
mined contest.  Bitterness  was  added  to  the  struggle  at  this  time 
by  religious  troubles.  James  II.  was  a  catholic ;  and  he  had. 
ordered  Governor  Dongan  to  introduce  that  religion  as  the  estab- 
lished form.  But  Dongan,  himself  a  catholic,  would  do  nothing 

*  There  'were  twelve  counties  in  the  colony  as-then  claimed.  Duke's  county  included 
Martha's  Vineyard  and  Nantucket;  Cornwall  county  was  P.  tiaquid,  the  land  between  the. 
Kennebec  and  Penobscot  rivers,  granted  the  Duke  with  New  "ork. 


46  NEW   YORK   UNDER  THE   DUKE  OF  YORK.        [Period  II 

that  was  intolerant  or  illiberal.  Still  the  protestants  of  the  colony 
were  too  ready  to  imagine  "  Popish  plots,"  some  of  them  having 
suffered  many  things  for  the  sake  of  their  religion  in  the  old 
countries. 

The  English  Reyolution  of  1688. — While  the  colonists  were 
thus  stirred  up  about  matters  of  religion  and  politics,  they  were 
more  excited  by  the  news  that  the  English  people  after  enduring 
for  three  years  the  reign  of  James  II.,  had  welcomed  to  their  shores 
William  of  Orange,  stadtholder  of  Holland,  with  his  army,  and 
had  forced  James  to  flee  into  France.  This  was  the  Revolution  of 
1688,  a  revolution  without  a  battle,  a  victory  of  parliament  over 
king  ;  for  from  this  time  parliament  was  supreme  and  the  power 
of  the  king  decreased. 

The  people  of  New  York  heard  of  the  crowning  of  William  with 
joy,  the  more  because  he  was  a  protestant  and  a  Dutchman.  When 
they  learned  that  the  citizens  of  Massachusetts  had  put  the  unpop- 
ular Andros  in  prison  they  were  undecided  whether  or  not  to  obey 
Nicholson,  he  being  the  officer  of  the  deposed  monarch.  All  things 
were  unsettled  and  the  weak-willed  Nicholson  was  not  the  man  for 
the  time.  Such  a  man,  however  was  found. 

Jacob  Leisler. — There  lived  in  the  colony  a  certain  man,  a 
native  of  Germany,  a  zealot  in  religion,  of  little  learning,  rich, 
brave,  and  an  intense  lover  of  liberty.  His  name  was  Jacob  Leis- 
ler. To  him,  being  a  captain  of  colonial  troops,  came  the  dissatisfied 
band  of  militia  which  then  happened  to  be  on  duty.  They  persuaded 
him  to  lead  them  in  an  effort  to  take  the  fort  from  the  control  of 
Nicholson.  When  Nicholson  proved  himself  too  weak  to  force  an 
issue  and  sailed  for  England,  Leisler  entered  the  stronghold  and 
took  upon  himself  the  duties  of  governor. 

He  was  the  first  man  who  came  from  the  people  to  rule  the  peo- 
ple. Rebel,  fanatic  and  usurper  he  may  have  been  ;  patriot,  hero 


Chap.  IV]  JACOB   LEISLER.  47 

and  martyr,  he  surely  was.  The  council  refused  to  act  with  him 
and  withdrew  to  Albany,  where  they  resisted  the  force  under  Leis- 
ler's  son-in-law  Milborne,  until  forced  by  fear  of  the  invasion  of  the 
French  from  Canada,  to  admit  the  troops  of  the  usurper. 

Administration  of  Leisler. — The  head  of  the  cJ.ony  styled 
himself  lieutenant-governor  and  was  earnest  and  active  in  carrying 
out  the  perplexing  duties  of  the  position.  He  sent  an  army  against 
the  French  who  were  invading  the  Mohawk  valley  and  had  burned 
Schenectady  ;  he  joined  with  the  men  of  New  England  in  an  expe- 
dition by  sea  to  Canada ;  he  improved  the  fort  at  New  York, 
planting  about  it  a  battery  of  six  guns,  which  marks  the  place  and 
gives  the  name  to  the  modern  park,  the  Battery ;  he  sent  evidence 
of  his  faithfulness  to  King  William  and  of  his  readiness  to  give  up 
the  colony  to  the  governor  sent  by  his  majesty.  His  mind  saw 
beyond  the  bounds  of  one  colony  and  took  in  the  needs  of  the 
colonial  brotherhood.  He  was  the  first  man  to  propose  a  conven- 
tion of  the  American  provinces.  But  he  was  a  century  ahead  of 
the  people. 

Arrest  t)f  Leisler. — Meanwhile  nearly  two  years  of  Leisler's 
rule  were  past  and  the  year  1691  came  before  Sloughter,  the  gov- 
ernor appointed  by  the  new  king  arrived  in  New  York.  It  hap- 
pened that  Captain  Richard  Ingoldsby,  in  charge  of  Sloughter's 
troops,  reached  New  York  long  before  his  commander.  Ingoldsby 
demanded  the  fort  and  was  refused  on  the  ground  that  he  had  no 
authority  to  govern  the  colony.  Leisler  resisted  a  siege  and 
defended  his  post  even  to  the  shedding  of  blood  ;  but  at  the  same 
time  he  declared  himself  ready  to  give  up  his  position  when  Slough- 
ter should  appear  and  present  his  credentials.  And  so  he  did.  But 
no  sooner  was  Sloughter  in  office  than  the  enemies  of  Leisler  caused 
his  arrest,  and  in  their  bitter  hatred  secured  a  sentence  of  death. 
When  they  seemed  likely  to  be  baffled  by  Sloughter's  dislike  to  sign 


48 


NEW  YORK   UNDER  THE   DUKE  OF  YORK.       [Period  II 


the  death  warrant,  they  called  to  their  murderous  design  the  ready 
help  of  liquor,  plied  the  governor  with  wine  at  a  party,  and  from 
the  drunken  man  obtained  his  signature. 

Two  days  later,  on  a  Saturday  morning  of  May,  1691,  as  most 
accounts  say,  Sloughter  lay  in  a  drunken  slumber.  Without  the 
rain  fell  and  through  its  beating,  Leisler  and  Milborne  were  led 
to  the  gallows.  About  them  the  people  crowded  ready  to  rush  for- 
ward at  their  death  and  seize  some  memento.  To  the  sheriff  asking 
"  if  he  were  ready  to  die,"  Leisler  answered  "  Yes."  As  the  hand- 
kerchief was  put  about  his  face,  he  said,  "  I  hope  these  eyes  shall 
see  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  Heaven.  I  am  ready."  Thus  died 
the  champion  of  a  cause,  which  by  his  death  was  aroused  to  victory. 
With  Bacon  of  Virginia,  he  was  in  spirit  the  ancestor  of  the  Eevo- 
lutionary  heroes.  Before  the  waning  century  was  gone,  his  body 
was  raised  to  lie  in  state,  a  royal  governor  did  honor  to  his  mem- 
ory, and  the  parliament  of  England  relieved  his  family  and  exon- 
erated his  administration. 


AUTOGRAPH  OP  LEISLER. 


CHAPTER  V. 


THE  FRENCH  IN  NEW  YORK. — 1642-1713. 

New  York  and  New  France. — For  seventy  years  New  York 
stood  in  the  front  rank  of  the  English  colonies  struggling  with  the 
French  for  the  possession  of  North  America.  New  France,  a  name 
given  to  Nova  Scotia,  New  Foundland,  Canada  and  the  valley  of 
the  Mississippi,  embraced  also,  as  the  French  would  have  it,  that 
part  of  the  present  State  of  New  York,  from  which  the  water  flows 
into  the  Great  Lakes  and  the  St.  Lawrence. 

On  the  other  hand  the  New  York  colonists  claimed  that  these 
lakes  and  the  river  themselves  were  their  northern  boundaries,  using 
the  poor  argument  that  Charles  II.  had  thus  specified  in  his  grant, 
and  giving  as  a  much  better  reason  that  the  land  in  dispute  was 
occupied  by  their  allies,  the  Iroquois. 

French  Missionaries  among  the  Iroquois.— In  1642,  some 
twenty-five  years  after  Champlain  failed  to  establish  the  arms  of 
France  in  New  York,  Isaac  Jogues,  (zhog),  a  Jesuit  priest,  scholar 
and  traveller,  was  dragged  from  his  canoe  on  the  St.  Lawrence  by 
a  band  of  Iroquois  and  carried  to  their  towns  on  the  Mohawk.  He 
ran  the  gauntlet  and  suffered  the  keenest  tortures ;  he  finally 
reached  New  Amsterdam,  went  back  to  Canada  and  returned  as  a 
missionary  to  the  Indians.  With  woods  for  a  chapel  and  a  cross 
cut  in  the  bark  of  a  tree  he  was  the  first  preacher  of  Christ's  gospel 
among  the  red  men  of  New  York. 

Condition  of  the  Iroquois. — The  tribe  among  whom  Jogues 
preached  and  soon  suffered  death  was  the  Mohawk.  These  were 
the  fiercest  of  the  Iroquois  and  the  tribe  most  friendly  to  the  Dutch 

(49) 


50  THE   FRENCH    IX    NEW    YORK.  [Period    II 

and  English.  They  lived  nearest  the  whites,  westward  from  Albany, 
along  the  river  named  from  them.  The  Iroquois,  however,  had  no 
fixed  location,  changing  their  villages  as  the  soil  was  impoverished. 
A  general  idea  of  the  situation  of  the  Five  Nations  may  be  had  from 
the  five  bodies  of  water  and  the  four  counties  named  from  the 
tribes.  The  Mohawks  long  dwelt  on  the  land  of  Montgomery 
county.  At  the  extreme  west  of  the  "  Long  House,"  as  the  Iroquois 
termed  their  territory,  were  the  Senecas,  by  far  the  most  numerous 
of  the  tribes. 

The  total  number  of  the  Iroquois  at  that  time  could  not  have 
been  much  over  ten  thousand.*  Of  these,  about  two  thousand 
were  warriors,  who  might  be  found  now  on  the  banks  of  the  St. 
Lawrence,  and  now  sailing  in  birch  bark  canoes  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Ohio.  The  old  men,  the  women  and  the  children  remained  in  vil- 
lages called  castles ;  these  were  composed  of  long,  bark  or  framed 
houses,  each  holding  many  families  and  all  surrounded  with  a 
palisade. 

Progress  of  the  Jesuits. — These  towns  soon  after  the  death  of 
Jogues  were  visited  by  many  French  Catholic  priests,  anxious  to 
convert  the  savages,  if  might  be,  intent,  at  all  events,  on  making 
the  Iroquois  friendly  to  Canada.  One  of  the  missionaries,  Father 
Le  Moyne  (mom)  visited  the  Onondagas,  there  tasted  a  well  which 
they  said  was  infested  with  evil  spirits  and  thus  discovered  the 
great  salt  springs  of  central  New  York.  Le  Moyne,  at  the  deceitful 
invitation  of  the  Indians,  brought  up  the  Oswego  river  a  colony  of 
fifty  Frenchmen,  who  on  the  shore  of  Onondaga  lake  made  the 
first  French  settlement  in  New  York.  This  happened  in  the 
administration  of  Stuyvesant.  But  the  adventurous  band  soon  saw 
the  murderous  purpose  of  their  pretending  friends  and  fled.  Yet 

*  There  were  in  1880,  according  to  the  census,  about  the  same  number  of  their  descend- 
ants in  various  parts  of  the  United  States  and  Canada.  The  number,  contrary  to  the  general 
idea,  is  not  decreasing. 


Chap.  V]  THE   JESUITS   IN   NEW   YORK.  51 

on  the  whole  the  Jesuits  made  progress  ;  they  met  craftiness  with 
greater  craftiness  and  gained  converts  while  Dutch  and  English 
preachers,  who  could  not  adapt  themselves  to  the  savage  ways, 
made  little  headway. 

Invasion  of  New  York.— The  Jesuits  were  finally  defeated  in 
their  efforts  to  ally  the  Indians  to  the  French  by  the  fickle  and 
deceitful  nature  of  the  Indians  and  by  the  interference  of  the  French 
soldiers  impatient  of  the  slow  progress  of  the  priests.  A  foolhardy 
company  of  daring  men,  in  dead  of  winter  of  1666  came  up  the 
frozen  Sorel  and  Lake  Champlaiu ;  but  upon  hearing  that  the 
wide-awake  English  and  not  the  slow-going  Dutch  then  held  the 
fort  at  Albany,  they  quietly  returned. 

Still  again  in  plcasanter  weather  of  the  same  year  thirteen  hun- 
dred Canadians  and  Indians  came  over  the  same  route  and  destroyed 
the  Mohawk  towns.  These  were  the  first  of  the  score  of  like  expe- 
ditions, which  made  the  name  of  the  French  a  terror  to  the  child 
of  New  York,  which  undid  the  work  of  the  priests,  but  which 
extended  little  the  borders  of  New  France. 

The  French  in  Western  New  York. — After  the  expeditions 
of  1666,  there  were  twenty  years  of  peace.  Meanwhile  the  French 
coveted  New  York  ;  and  so  much  did  the  rulers  of  Canada  value 
the  position  of  the  English  in  the  Hudson  valley  that  they  proposed 
to  their  king  to  purchase  the  territory,  "which,"  as  they  wrote, 
"would  render  His  Majesty  master  of  all  North  America."  Not 
able  to  buy  the  Hudson  valley  the  French  governors  determined 
to  try  force  once  more  upon  the  Five  Nations.  One  governor  on 
pretense  of  making  peace  enticed  to  Fort  Frontenac*  (f  ron-te-nac), 
a  band  of  Iroquois  and  thereupon  murdered  some  and  sent  others 
to  France  as  slaves.  Thus  to  break  a  truce  was  the  blackest  of 
crimes  to  an  Indian,  and  henceforth  it  was  war  to  the  knife. 

*  Fort  Froutenac,  the  first  building  on  Lake  Ontario,  had  been  put  up  by  a  governor  of 
that  name  to  catch  the  trade  of  the  western  Indians.  The  city  of  Kingston  now  stands  on 
the  spot. 


52  THE   FRENCH   IN   NEW  YORK.  [Period  II 

Soon  after,  the  Canadian  governor  landed  at  Irondequoit  bay  and 
defeated  the  Senecas  in  Ontario  county,  near  the  town  of  Victor ; 
then  sailing  to  the  mouth  of  the  Niagara  river,  he  landed  on  the 
New  York  side,  and  built  Fort  Niagara.  Thereupon  Governor 
Dongau,  unwilling  to  see  the  French  hold  this  passage  to  the  west, 
sent  a  protest,  claiming  the  land  to  be  "within  my  Master's  terri- 
toryes  without  question."  The  Five  Nations  were  more  excited  by 
the  encroachment  than  Dongan,  and  without  his  aid  they  so  harassed 
the  little  garrison  that  they  were  glad  to  escape  from  the  new  fort. 
The  terrified  fugitives  did  not  stop  at  Fort  Frontenac  but  blew  up 
that  stronghold  and  withdrew  to  the  island  of  Montreal.  Even 
here  they  were  besieged  by  the  Indians  and  all  Canada  shivered 
before  the  avenging  fury  of  the  Iroquois. 

Frontenac. — At  this  critical  period,  Count  Frontenac,  once 
before  governor  of  Canada  and  now  an  old  man,  returned  to  redeem 
the  colony.  Since  Champlain,  he  was  the  most  notable  figure  of 
New  France.  He  could  assume  the  paint  and  fury  of  a  savage  and 
yell  with  them  in  the  war  dance  ;  he  could  lead  his  troops  through 
tangled  woods,  when  from  the  weakness  of  years  he  must  be  carried 
in  a  chair.  He  now  made  peace  with  the  Iroquois  as  best  he  could, 
and  since  war  had  broken  out  between  England  and  France,  known 
in  the  colonies  as  King  William's  war,  he  made  ready  to  strike  a 
blow  upon  the  English. 

Burning  of  Schenectady. — In  the  winter  of  1690  he  sent  an 
army  of  two  hundred,  half  of  whom  were  Indians,  over  Lake 
Champlain.  In  the  midst  of  a  driving  snow  they  came  to  the  most 
westerly  town  of  New  York,  Schenectady.  It  was  eleven  o'clock  at 
night,  and  the  Dutch  inhabitants  slept  in  the  fifty  or  more  houses 
huddled  within  palisades.  The  gates  of  the  weak  fortification  were 
open,  and  no  guards  were  there  except  sentinels  of  snow  put  up  in 
play  by  the  boys.  The  black  forms  moved  silently  until  distributed 
through  the  place.  Then  there  was  a  yell,  the  crashing  of  doors 
and  horrid  butchery.  A  few  escaped  in  night  clothes  and  froze 


Chap.  V]  QUEEN  ANNE'S  WAK.  $3 

their  feet  in  an  attempt  to  reach  Albany ;  some  were  spared  ;  some 
were  kept  for  torture ;  while  sixty,  among  them  twelve  children, 
were  fortunate  enough  to  meet  a  speedy  death.  By  noon  the  city 
of  Van  Curler  was  in  ashes,  and  the  victors  were  hurrying  on  snow 
shoes  to  Montreal. 

Raids  of  the  French  and  English. — Three  years  later  a  like 
expedition  frightened  even  the  people  of  New  York  city,  but  suc- 
ceeded simply  in  burning  a  few  Mohawk  towns  and  then  returned. 
After  another  three  years  Frontenac  changed  his  course,  entered  New 
York  by  Lake  Ontario  and  destroyed  the  castles  of  the  Onondagas 
and  Oneidas.  The  Indians  took  to  the  woods  at  the  invasion  of  the 
immense  force,  and  but  one  warrior,  a  man  of  eighty  or  more  years, 
was  caught.  Him  the  Indians  with  Frontenac  tied  to  a  tree  and 
tortured  with  knives.  "You  had  better,"  said  he,  "let  me  die  by 
fire,  that  these  French  dogs  may  learn  to  die  like  men."  This 
Indian  was  the  only  one  killed  by  an  invasion  designed  to  extermi- 
nate the  Iroquois. 

The  small  armies  sent  by  New  York  and  by  some  of  the  near  col- 
onies to  beat  back  the  French  and  to  enter  Canada  accomplished 
little.  They  either  found  the  difficulties  of  march  too  great,  or 
quarreled  about  their  leaders  and  disbanded.  The  most  notable 
leader  of  New  York  forces  at  the  time  was  the  mayor  of  Albany, 
Peter  Schuyler.  He  penetrated  to  the  banks  opposite  Montreal 
and  gave  the  French  a  long  remembered  whipping.  These  excur- 
sions back  and  forth  were  stopped  by  the  death  of  Frontenac  and 
by  the  treaty  of  Ryswick  (riz'wik)  between  France  and  England. 

Queen  Anne's  War. — The  treaty  fixed  no  boundaries  between 
the  colonies,  and  as  the  mother  countries  were  soon  at  war  again,  the 
children  in  America  were  quick  to  take  up  the  quarrel.  This  time 
it  was  resolved  to  drive  the  French  entirely  from  Canada.  In 
1709  and  again  two  years  later  large  parties  well  equipped  gathered 


54  THE   FRENCH  IN   NEW   YORK.  [Period   II 

at  Albany  to  march  into  Canada  and  to  meet  another  party  sailing 
from  Boston  up  the  St.  Lawrence.  The  expeditions  by  sea  were 
disgraceful  failures,  and  the  armies  from  Albany  did  not  reach  the 
head  of  Lake  Champlain  ;  the  result  was  a  burdensome  debt  upon 
the  colony.  As  the  other  colonies  were  shielded  by  New  York,  they 
were  asked  to  help  pay  the  expenses  of  the  war ;  but  with  a  few 
exceptions  they  neglected  to  send  money  or  men. 

New  York's  Weakness  and  Strength  in  War.— The  separate- 
ness  and  mutual  jealousies  of  the  English  colonies  were  a  source  of 
weakness.  The  French,  less  in  number,  won  by  unity  and  push. 
New  York  was  furthermore  at  a  disadvantage  in  the  contest  on  ac- 
count of  the  quarrels  with  the  governors,  into  whose  hands  the 
assembly  feared  to  put  a  strong  force.  The  farmer  colonists  too 
were  not  easily  aroused  to  war ;  but  in  the  long  run  they  were  more 
than  a  match  for  traders,  hunters  and  professional  soldiers.  Their 
families  and  harvests  gave  a  steady  increase  to  New  York ;  while 
the  Canadian  colony,  depending  largely  for  recruits  and  for  bread 
upon  the  slow-coming  ships  from  France,  grew  little  in  population 
and  was  at  times  on  the  point  of  starvation. 

New  York,  moreover,  was  strong  in  the  help  of  the  Iroquois  ;  in 
fact  the  English  presumed  too  much  on  their  red  allies  and  often, 
after  promising  help  and  supplies,  left  the  Indians  to  fight  alone. 
How  the  struggle  would  end  was  not  then  decided,  for  the  war, 
known  as  Queen  Anne's  war,  was  closed  by  the  treaty  of  Utrecht 
(u-trek).  By  this  treaty  the  French  acknowledged  that  the  iro- 
quois  owned  the  land  south  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  of  the  G^ent 
Lakes.  And  with  this  comfort  New  York  turned  to  arrange  her 
neglected  affairs  at  home. 


OHAPTEE  VI. 


A  HALF  CEXTUKY  OF  ENGLISH  EULE. — 1691-1744. 

The  Successors  of  Leisler. — Internal  strife  had  been  bitter 
during  the  early  struggles  with  the  French.  The  two  parties 
which  had  grown  up  in  the  colony  were  known  as  the  Leislerians 
and  the  anti-Leislerians ;  of  these  the  Leislerians  or  democratic 
faction  was  the  larger  ;  while  the  aristocratic  party  had  the  active 
support  of  the  government  of  the  colony.  The  management  of 
affairs  was  not  long  in  Sloughter's  hands,  for  his  drunken  habits 
brought  his  death  within  a  few  months  after  the  hanging  of  Leis- 
ler. He  was  followed  by  Benjamin  Fletcher,  a  man  of  little  ability 
but  of  strong  passions,  a  poor  governor  but  a  good  soldier.  He 
moved  his  troops  so  swiftly  up  the  Hudson  to  oppose  the  French 
that  the  approving  Indians  named  him  "  Ca-yen-gui-ra-go," — "Great 
Swift  Arrow."  He  placed  the  enemies  of  Leisler  in  office  and  made 
offensive  efforts  to  establish  the  English  church  in  the  colony.  It 
was  through  him  that  Trinity  church  was  at  this  time  (1696)  estab- 
lished. He  was  intent  too  on  introducing  the  English  language  more 
completely  ;  for  although  it  was  now  thirty  years  after  the  surrender 
of  Stuyvesant,  the  Dutch  were  still  in  the  majority  and  their  speech 
was  the  language  of  business. 

New  York  Surrounded  with  Dangers.— During  the  seven 
years  following  1690,  the  colony  had  its  hands  full  with  the  war 
with  France  and  the  management  of  the  Five  Nations.  These 
affairs  Governor  Fletcher  was  wise  enough  to  trust  largely  to  the 
skilful  management  of  Peter  Schuyler.  New  York  seemed  beset 
with  difficulties;  for  about  this  time  bands  of  pirates  became  a 

(55) 


56  A   HALF   CENTURY   OF   ENGLISH    RULE.  [Period  II 

terror  along  the  American  coast.  They  were  so  bold  that  they  even 
entered  the  bay  and  in  sight  of  New  York  city  captured  merchant 
vessels  and  made  safely  off. 

Probably  the  pirates  were  in  league  with  officers  of  the  govern- 
ment, perhaps  with  the  governor  himself.  Captain  William  Kidd, 
a  well  known  shipmaster,  was  sent  against  them.  He  took  his  well 
equipped  ship,  ran  up  the  black  flag  and  became  the  prince  of 
pirates.  He  was  afterward  hanged  and  his  fabled  treasures  have 
been  often  dug  for  deep  down  in  the  soil  of  Long  Island. 

The  First  Democratic  Governor. — It  was  to  suppress  these 
robber  crafts  that  the  English  government  recalled  Fletcher  and 
sent  in  his  place  an  Irish  gentleman,  the  Earl  of  Bellomont.  This 
change  was  however  more  important  to  the  colony  because  Bello- 
mont as  a  member  of  parliament  had  defended  the  deeds  and 
character  of  Leisler  ;  so  that  upon  coming  to  the  colony  he  joined 
himself  to  the  Leislerian  party. 

During  his  administration,  which  occupied  the  very  last  years  of 
the  seventeenth  century,  the  assembly  was  dismissed  and  a  new  one 
called ;  for  the  act  creating  an  assembly  first  granted  and  then 
recalled  by  James  II.  was  restored  under  King  "William.  The 
members,  then  nineteen  in  number,  were  elected  by  the  people  for 
no  definite  time  but  held  office  at  the  will  of  the  governor.  The 
assembly  might  remain  for  years ;  it  might  any  day  be  dissolved. 
Over  its  acts  the  governor  had  an  absolute  veto.  There  was  also  a 
council  of  seven  to  twelve  men,  appointed  by  the  king  or  governor, 
who  had  something  of  the  power  of  a  modern  State  senate,  or  as 
Governor  Fletcher  said,  "they  are  in  the  nature  of  the  House  of 
Lords. "  The  new  assembly,  elected  in  Bellomont's  administration, 
was  largely  democratic.,  showing  that  the  sentiment  of  the  colony 
favored  the  friends  of  Leisler.  All  things  seemed  favorable  to  the 
security  of  the  common  citizen  of  New  York,  when  Bellomont  died. 


Chap.  VI] 


CORNBURY'S  ADMINISTRATION. 


57 


Cornbury. — After  an  interval  in  which  the  senior  member  of  the 
council  as  lieutenant-governor  had  charge  of  the  colony,  Lord  Corn- 
bury,  in  the  second  year  of  the  eighteenth  century  arrived  at  New 
York  as  governor ;  soon  after,  he  became  governor  also  of  New 
Jersey.  *  Tyrannical  in  his  rule,  loose  in  morals,  dishonest  in  busi- 
ness, he  was  the  first  of  the  grasping,  insolent  governors  of  New  York 
who  drove  the  peace-loving  people  to  join  in  a  war  against  the  gov- 
ernment of  England. 

The  Assembly  versus  the  Governor. — All  the  disputes  be- 
tween the  people  of  the  colony,  represented  by  the  assembly,  and 
the  government  of  England,  represented  by  the  governor,  centered 
in  the  question  of  taxation.  As  the  Revolution  of  1688  in  England 
had  established  the  principle  that  the  people  can  be  taxed  by  their 


NEW  YORK  CITY  IN  170*. 


*The  proprietors  of  New  Jersey  at  thl3  time  surrendered  their  claims  to  the  crown,  and  for  thirty- 
six  years  that  province,  although  keeping  its  own  assembly,  was  under  the  governor  of  New  York. 


58  A  HALF  CENTURY  OF  ENGLISH  RULE.  [Period  II 

representatives  only,  so  the  assembly  of  New  York,  chosen  by  the 
citizens,  assumed  and  maintained  that  they  alone  could  tax  the 
people  of  New  York.  They  submitted  to  the  Navigation  Laws 
which  exacted  revenue  from  the  ocean  trade,  but  they  themselves 
imposed  all  internal  taxes.  Here  lay  the  advantage  of  the  colony  in 
the  struggle  against  the  despotic  power  of  the  rulers.  No  fixed 
amount  was  paid  the  governor  but  bountiful  sums  were  voted  for  a 
year  or  for  a  term  of  years  for  his  support.  As  Cornbury,  like 
many  other  governors,  took  the  place  for  the  money  in  it,  if  the 
assembly  wished  his  signature  to  a  bill  or  his  order  to  carry  out  any 
project,  they  withheld  the  revenue  until  he  came  to  terms.  ' '  We 
must  surrender  once  a  year,"  said  a  disgusted  governor  of  New 
York. 

The  Assembly  Takes  Control  of  the  Revenue.— Then  the 
people  took  another  step  toward  freedom.  They  had  at  first  given 
money  to  the  governor  to  lay  out  as  he  thought  best ;  later  they 
named  the  items  and  the  amounts  to  be  applied  to  each  object. 
At  one  time  the  assembly  voted  seven  thousand  dollars*  to  erect 
forts  at  the  Narrows,  where  Forts  Hamilton  and  LaFayette  now 
stand.  The  money  disappeared  in  Cornbury's  pocket.  Then  the 
assembly  appointed  a  treasurer  ;  and  thenceforth  the  governor  could 
get  but  the  sums  voted  him.  These  amounts  were  not  small ;  the 
salary  of  a  governor  was  generally  from  five  thousand  to  ten  thousand 
dollars.  This  was  a  small  part  however  of  his  revenue  ;  since  appro- 
priations for  various  items  were  lavishly  given,  Cornbury  receiving 
nine  thousand  dollars  for  his  expenses  in  crossing  the  ocean.  Dur- 
ing this  man's  administration  the  people  advanced  more  rapidly 
toward  freedom  than  under  the  favorable  rule  of  Bellomont.  The 
two  warring  political  factions  united  in  one  party  of  opposition  to 
the  governor. 

*  Money  was  raised  largely  by  poll  tax ;  this  tax  was  not  equal  for  every  man,  but  about 
as  follows,  chantrinsr  English  money  to  a  similar  amount  in  United  States  currency  :— Every 
freeman  between  sixteen  and  sixty,  18  cents  :  bachelors  over  twenty-five  years  of  age  55 
cents ;  a  man  wearing  a  witr  $1.10 ;  a  lawyer,  $5  ;  a  member  of  assembly  $10. 


Chap.  VI]  SOME   OF  THE   LEADING  MEN.  59 

The  leading  men  of  the  colony  at  this  time  were  Peter  Schuy- 
ler*,  William  Smith,  Lewis  Morris  and  Robert  Livingston.  Three 
of  these  men,  Schuyler,  Morris  and  Livingston,  were  of  families 
renowned  in  American  history;  two,  Morris  and  Livingston,  were 
the  grandfathers  of  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 


PETER  SCHUYLER. 


*  Peter  Schuyler,  a  Dutchman,  was  the  great  man  of  early  English  rule.  He  was  made 
mayur  of  Albany  by  Dongan,  and  for  a  long  time  was  in  charge  of  the  Indian  affairs  of  the 
colony.  Like  Van  Curler  he  had  unbounded  influence  over  the  Iroquois  by  whom  he  was 
greatly  admired.  He  was  known  among  them  as  Brother  "  Quidder,"  that  being  as  nearly 
as  they  could  pronounce  Peter.  He  married  in  the  Van  Kensselaer  family,  took  a  promi- 
nent part  in  colonial  politics  and  for  a  time  was  acting  governor.  His  family  was  to  gain 
greater  renown  during  the  Revolution  from  his  nephew,  General  Philip  Schuyler. 

William  Smith,  an  English  immigrant,  was  long  a  leader  of  the  party  of  the  people.    His 


60  A   HALF   CENTURY   OP   ENGLISH   RULE.  [Period  II 

The  Last  of  Cornbury's  Rule.— The  administration  of  Corn- 
bury  is  a  chapter  of  unjust  deeds.  At  one  time  the  small  pox  and 
yellow  fever  raged  in  the  city  and  drove  him  and  his  officers  to 
Jamaica,  Long  Island.  The  Presbyterian  minister  of  the  place 
offered  him  his  house.  The  governor  managed  to  turn  the  parson- 
age over  to  the  church  of  England  together  with  the  only  meeting 
house  of  the  village,  one  built  by  the  Presbyterians.  For  such 
acts  he  was  heartily  detested  by  the  people.  He  was  in  debt  to 
many  of  the  store-keepers  of  New  York  city,  and  when  removed 
from  office  by  his  cousin  Queen  Anne  he  was  thrown  into  prison 
until  released  by  a  timely  legacy. 

Goyernor  Hunter. — This  was  about  the  beginning  of  Queen 
Anne's  war  and  after  one  or  two  others  had  for  a  short  time  tried 
their  hands  at  the  helm,  Eobert  Hunter  came  to  govern  the  colony. 
In  learning  and  in  polished  manners  he  was  the  ablest  of  the  Eng- 
lish governors ;  but  he  was  unfit  for  the  unpleasant  tasks  before 
him.  The  failure  of  the  expeditions  of  1709  and  the  following 
years  angered  the  Iroquois  and  threw  the  colony  into  debt.  To 
meet  the  obligations  paper  money  was  for  the  first  time  issued,  and 
this  soon  became  worth  but  a  third  of  its  face  value.  The  assembly 
refused  to  grant  revenue  but  for  a  single  year,  and  withal  Governor 
Hunter  had  little  heart  for  a  contest  with  that  obstinate  body.  He 
took  in  the  situation  at  once  and  wrote  home, — "  The  colonies  are 
infants  at  their  mother's  breasts,  but;  such  as  will  wean  themselves 
when  they  become  of  age."  f\  \ 


itt  such  as 
V^v~/ 


son  wrote  the  first  history  of  New  York,  but  deserted  the  cause  of  the  people  during  the 
Revolution. 

Lewis  Morris,  of  Welsh  parentage,  was  a  native  of  New  York.  His  father,  a  soldier  in 
Cromwell's  army,  bought  a  tract  of  land  near  Harlem,  calling  It  Morrisania,  (sa),  now  a  part 
of  New  York  city.  Lewis  Morris  befriended  New  Jersey  and  was  in  1738  the  first  separate 
royal  governor  of  that  colony. 

Robert  Livingston  was  a  Scotchman  who  bought  a  tract  of  land  south  of  the  estate  of  the 
Van  Rensselaera  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Hudson  and  became  one  of  the  rich  patroons  or 
lords  of  the  manor.  He  was  appointed  by  Governor  Andros  secretary  of  the  first  board  of 
commissioners  of  Indian  affairs.  He  led  the  opposition  to  Lelsler  but  later  Joined  the  cause 
of  the  people  against  the  corrupt  and  knavish  Cornbury. 


Chap.   VI]  THE   INDIAN  TEADE,  61 

The  Population :  Number. — A  sturdy  infant  the  colony  was 
already.  The  opening  of  the  new  century  found  20,000  inhabi- 
tants. At  the  quarter,  (1725),  the  number  was  twice  as  many, — 
40,000 ;  at  the  half  century  the  number  was  again  doubled,  and 
when  another  twenty-five  years  brought  1775  and  the  close  of  Eng- 
lish rule,  the  population,  doubled  again,  was  160,000.* 

Distribution. — The  people  were  filling  the  Hudson  valley, 
spreading  over  Orange  and  Ulster  counties  and  further  north  they 
were  looking  longingly  to  the  land  where  the  Mohawk  would  easily 
carry  them.  In  this  valley  Schenectady  was  long  the  last  town ; 
the  land  beyond,  which  remained  unsettled  from  fear  of  the  French 
and  their  Indian  allies,  was  known  as  the  Indian  country.  But 
nothing  could  long  keep  the  settlers  from  tilling  this  rich  low-lying 
land.  They  planned  to  possess  the  hunting  grounds  of  the  Iroquois, 
they  cheated  and  maddened  the  savages  at  times,  but  they  got  the 
land. 

A  fort  was  built  at  the  mouth  of  Schoharie  creek  and  named  from 
Governor  Hunter.  This  officer  with  a  visionary  and  costly  scheme 
of  colonization  brought  to  America  three  thousand  Germans  from 
the  persecuted  district  of  the  Palatinate  (pa-lat'-i-nate).  Some  of 
these  people,  disappointed  in  the  places  provided  for  them  along 
the  Hudson,  pushed  westward  from  Schenectady  and  marked  their 
settlements  with  the  names  Palatine  Bridge  and  German  Flats. 

Occupation ;  the  Indian  Trade.— The  colonists  were  in  these 
times  largely  farmers  ;  still  sailors  and  fishermen  were  a  consider- 
able part  of  the  people  of  New  York  city  and  of  Long  Island;  while 
many  trappers  and  traders  made  Albany  their  headquarters  and 
carried  their  dangerous  business  as  far  as  Lake  Superior.  In  this. 
Indian  trade  the  French  had  the  advantage  of  position ;  but  the 
English  at  Albany  could  afford  to  give  the  Indians  nearly  twice  as 

*  The  exact  figures  are,  in  1703,  20,665;  1733,  40,564;  1749,  r3,348;  1771,  m,S37.-American 
Cydopcedia. 


62 


A  HALF   CENTURY  OF   ENGLISH   RULE.  [Period  II 


much  powder,  rum  and  woolen  cloth  for  a  beaver  skin  as  they  could 
get  at  Montreal  or  Fort  Frontenac.  The  colony  of  New  York 
planned  to  fortify  a  position  on  Lake  Ontario  in  order  to  compete 
with  Fort  Frontenac  for  the  trade  with  the  western  Indians  ;  and 
after  a  long  delay,  in  1722,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Oswego  river,  a  store- 
house and  later  a  fort  were  built  where  now  is  a  populous  city. 

Goyernor  Burnet  and  the  French. — This  important  step  was 

taken  by  Governor  William  Bur- 
net,  who  two  years  before  received 
the  place  of  the  gifted  but  dis- 
contented Hunter.  The  name  of 
Burnet  may  be  added  to  the  short 
list  of  liberal-minded  and  public- 
spirited  foreign  governors  of  New 
York.  He  perceived  that  the  de- 
sign of  the  French  was  to  secure 
North  America ;  he  attempted  to 
unite  king  and  colonists  in  pre- 
occupying the  banks  of  the  Ohio 
and  Mississippi  with  a  line  of 
English  forts.  But  the  king,  three 
thousand  miles  away,  did  not 
GOV.  SUBNET.  realize  the  situation ;  while  the 

colonists,  intent  on  scraping  and  hoarding,  were  so  fearful  of  tax- 
ation that  they  would  not  permit  a  saving  outlay  of  colonial  money. 
Burnet,  himself,  as  French  writers  confess,  left  no  stone  unturned 
to  defeat  the  projects  of  France.  He  called  a  council  of  colonial 
governors  at  Albany,  the  first  of  the  many  conferences  held  at  that 
place  with  the  Six  Nations.*  He  attempted  to  pass  beyond  Oswego 

*The  Iroquols  a  short  time  since  had  received  the  Tuscaroras,  the  tribe  of  Powhatan 
and  Pocahontas,  from  Virgina,  and  had  given  them  land  on  the  south  east  end  of  Oneida 
lake.  The  confederation  was  henceforth  known  as  the  Six  Nations. 


Chap.  VI]  COLONEL  WILLIAM  COSBY.  63 

and  fortify  the  deserted  French  position  at  Niagara ;  but  he  was  dis- 
appointed and  was  compelled  to  see  the  French  a  third  time,  in 
1726,  build  Fort  Niagara. 

The  French  Trade.— Still  nothing  more  than  sharp  letters 
between  the  governors  disturbed  the  peace  of  New  York  and  Can- 
ada. The  traders  of  Montreal  had  found  that  they  could  buy 
at  Albany  cheaper  than  they  could  import  from  France  ;  so  a  brisk 
trade  was  going  on  between  the  two  colonies  by  means  of  Indian 
carriers  over  the  Champlain  route.  It  was  profitable  business  for 
the  merchants  of  New  York,  but  it  promised  evil  to  the  colony  ;  for 
in  the  path  of  the  traders  the  French  were  creeping  up  the  Sorel, 
up  Lake  Champlain ;  soon  they  would  be  on  Lake  George  and  a 
step  would  take  them  to  the  upper  Hudson  valley. 

Governor  Burnet  saw  the  danger  and  induced  the  assembly  to 
prohibit  the  trade.  For  this  act  he  was  disliked  by  the  merchants 
of  New  York  and  London  who  used  all  means  to  secure  his  removal 
He  further  lost  popularity  by  continuing  the  court  of  chancery,  a 
court  of  supreme  authority,  instituted  by  Hunter,  which  encroached 
upon  the  power  of  the  assembly.  The  governor  also  unfortunately 
incurred  the  displeasure  of  Peter  Schuyler  and  of  Stephen  De 
Lancey  ;*  and  thus  a  combination  of  influences  brought  about  the 
removal  of  the  efficient  but  indiscreet  Burnet  to  Massachusetts ; 
and  following  this  the  trade  with  Canada  was  soon  renewed. 

Cosby. — When  the  next  governor  died  after  a  term  of  a  few 
months,  Eip  Van  Dam,  the  oldest  member  of  the  council,  took  the 
office  of  acting  governor  until  the  arrival  of  Colonel  William  Cosby, 
in  1732,  a  year  memorable  for  the  birth  of  Washington.  As  Corn- 
bury  stands  in  contrast  with  Bellomont,  so  Cosby  is  odious  in  com- 
parison with  the  high-minded  Burnet.  When  allowed  to  have  his 
own  way,  Cosby  exercised  his  tyranny  with  offensive  overbearance  ; 

*  Stephen  DeLancey  was  the  leading  man  among  a  company  of  French  Huguenots,  who 
to  escape  persecution  in  France  settled  in  New  York  city  and  at  New  Rochelle. 


64  A   HALF   CENTURY   OF   ENGLISH    RULE.  [Period  II 

when  thwarted  by  the  assembly,  he  bowed  servilely  before  them. 
He  at  once  sued  the  popular  leader,  Rip  Van  Darn,  and  tried  to 
force  him  to  give  up  half  of  the  salary  of  the  year  when  he  acted 
as  governor.  He  deposed  Lewis  Morris  from  the  office  of  chief  jus- 
tice ;  he  quarreled  with  William  Smith,  the  principal  lawyer  of  the 
colony.  He  had  cunningly  induced  the  assembly  to  vote  taxes  for 
five  years  and  so  placed  himself  partly  beyond  the  reach  of  public 
displeasure,  except  as  it  might  be  talked  in  the  tavern  or  published 
in  the  newspaper. 

The  First  Printer. — The  press  was  then  a  new  force  in  secur- 
ing the  popular  rights  of  New  York.  Forty  years  before  and  two 
years  after  the  death  of  Leisler,  Governor  Fletcher,  feeling  the  need 
of  printed  laws  and  other  legal  papers,  persuaded  one  William  Brad- 
ford, a  printer  of  Philadelphia/  to  bring  to  New  York  his  rude 
printing  press.  He  took  this  first  machine  of  its  kind  into  the 
province  and  for  fifty  years  did  the  public  printing.*  In  1725 
he  began  the  first  newspaper,  the  New  York  Gazette,  a  weekly 
paper  about  the  size  of  a  sheet  of  foolscap. 

Zenger ;  His  Arrest. — Naturally  the  paper  of  the  public  printer 
supported  the  governor ;  and  quite  naturally  too  an  opposition 
paper  was  started  ;  it  was  conducted  by  Peter  Zenger,  a  former 
workman  of  Bradford.  His  paper,  the  New  York  Weekly  Journal, 
was  filled  with  criticisms  and  jingling  rhymes  aimed  at  the  hated 
governor.  Cosby  fumed  at«the  hard  hits  given  him  and  arrested 
Zenger  for  libel.  The  publisher  then  edited  the  paper  in  his  cell 
and  sent  for  William  Smith  and  another  lawyer  to  defend  him. 
The  governor  thereupon  caused  these  lawyers  to  be  deprived  of  the 
rights  of  attorneys.  Zenger's  next  move  was  to  engage  Andrew 
Hamilton,  a  lawyer  of  Philadelphia,  one  of  the  ablest  advocates  in 

*  One  day  a  boy  of  seventeen,  a  runaway  apprentice  from  Boston,  came  to  his  office. 
Bradford  did  not  have  work  for  another  hand,  and  so  directed  the  young  man  to  his  son,  a 
printer  in  Philadelphia.  By  this  chance,  Pennsylvania.and  not  New  York  became  the  home 
of  the  statesman  and  scientist.  Benjamin  Franklin. 


Chap.  VI]  A    DECLAKATION   OF   INDEPENDENCE.  65 

America. .  The  case  rapidly  became  famous.  In  the  city  a  society 
of  men,  among  whom  were  William  Smith,  William  Livingston  and 
John  Morrin  Scott,  was  formed  under  the  name  of  "  Sons  of  Lib- 
erty ; "  and  in  other  colonies  the  inhabitants  were  intently  watching 
the  result. 

The  Trial.— Hamilton  in  opening  his  client's  case  made  it 
plainly  the  cause  of  the  whole  people,  declaring  to  the  jury  that 
they  were  to  decide  the  question  of  freedom  of  speech  and  of  the 
press  against  the  will  of  a  dictator.  The  judge,  the  tool  of  Cosby, 
charged  the  jury  to  bring  in  a  verdict  of  guilty.  Their  verdict  was, 
— not  guilty.  Amid  uncontrollable  applause  Hamilton  was  borne 
from  the  room,  given  a  banquet  and  placed  on  the  barge  for  Phila- 
delphia with  firing  of  cannon.  It  was  a  great  victory  for  New 
York  and  her  sister  colonies.  Thereby  the  press  became  free  and 
continued  to  be  a  most  important  aid  in  securing  the  rights  of 
Americans  until  men  laid  down  the  pen  to  put  an  end  to  the  con- 
test with  the  sword. 

Change  of  Goyernor. — The  trial  of  Zenger  was  in  1735  ;  Cosby 
died  the  next  year,  after  providing  that  Eip  Van  Dam  should  not 
act  as  governor  during  the  usual  interval  preceding  the  appoint- 
ment of  a  chief  officer.  By  this  arrangement,  George  Clarke,  a 
favorite  of  the  aristocracy,  became  acting  governor,  and,  by  repre- 
senting to  the  powers  across  the  ocean  that  the  place  was  ill-paid 
and  beset  with  troubles,  he  kept  charge  of  the  government  for  seven 
years. 

A  Declaration  of  Independence.— At  the  beginning  of  his 
administration  the  assembly  met  him  with  a  firm  front.  When 
they  received  from  him  the  customary  address  or  message,  they  re- 
turned a  reply  as  was  usual.  They  used  none  of  the  fulsome  praise 
often  found  in  these  responses,  but  put  the  case  to  Clarke  in  plain 
terms:  "  You  are  not  to  expect  that  we  either  will  raise  sums  unfit 


66  A   HALF   CENTURY   OF   ENGLISH   RULE.  [Period  II 

to  be  raised,  or  put  what  we  shall  raise  into  the  power  of  a  governor 
to  misapply. "  They  determined  that  henceforth  they  would  not  raise 
a  revenue  "for  any  longer  time  than  one  year;  nor  do  we  think," 
said  they,  "it  convenient  to  do  that  until  such  laws  are  passed  as 
we  conceive  necessary."  To  these  words  the  politic  Clarke  bowed, 
bargained  to  support  certain  measures  of  the  assembly  and  secured 
an  ample  revenue. 

Public  Plunder. — The  revenue  seemed  to  be  his  main  concern. 
He  came  from  England  to  be  secretary  of  the  colony  ;  he  returned 
worth  $500,000, — a  fabulous  sum  in  those  days.  Nor  does  it  ap- 
pear that  some  other  governors  were  far  behind  him  in  getting  rich. 
They  took  large  fees  for  land  grants  and  titles  ;  they  appropriated 
broad  tracts  of  land  and  sold  it  or  distributed  it  among  favorites ; 
they  took  pay  from  merchants  and  from  other  interested  persons  in 
return  for  favoring  some  regulation  of  trade.  Many  of  these  trans- 
actions, which  to-day  would  be  thought  scandalous,  were  then 
looked  upon  as  the  rightful  income  of  the  governor's  office.  One 
great  political  job  of  that  time  was  the  bringing  of  five  hundred 
highlanders  from  Scotland  to  people  the  land  about  Lake  George  as 
a  protection  against  the  French.  The  project  failed ;  but  the 
Scotch  mingled  with  English,  Dutch  and  Germans,  making  for 
New  York  a  broad-minded  population. 

The  Negro  Plot. — During  the  administration  of  Clarke,  the 
colony  passed  through  affliction.  The  winter  of  1741  was  severely 
cold  and  was  accompanied  with  suffering.  The  citizens  of  New 
York  city  expected  each  day  to  see  a  war  ship  of  Spain,  with 
which  nation  England  Was  then  at  war.  The  city  was  now  a  place 
of  ten  thousand  people, — a  fifth  of  whom  were  negro  slaves.  As 
summer  followed  the  cold  winter,  rumors  of  a  slave  riot  filled  the 
air.  It  was  no  new  sensation  ;  thirty  years  before,  the  negroes  were 
charged  with  combining  for  the  burning  of  the  city,  and  on  very 
poor  evidence  nineteen  of  them  were  hanged.  Since  then  the  peo- 


Chap.  VI]  THE  NEGRO   PLOT.  57 

pie  had  lived  in  fear  of  a  conspiracy  of  slaves,  and  according  to  law 
when  they  found  three  negroes  together  they  might  give  them  forty 
lashes  on  the  bare  back. 

In  the  fateful  year  of  1741  a  few  small  fires  occurred  about  the 
same  time,  probably  set  for  the  sake  of  plunder ;  and  in  this  the  fear- 
ful citizens  saw  a  bold  "  negro  plot "  to  burn  the  city  and  murder 
the  white  people.  Eewards  for  information  were  freely  offered ; 
and  the  Dutch  taverns  were  filled  with  gossiping,  tale-inventing 
men,  who  manufactured  a  childish  fear  and  foolish  hatred  of  the 
negro.  The  people  were  seized  with  a  panic  and  many  fled  from 
the  city  as  from  a  pestilence. 

After  much  search  for  the  guilty  persons,  an  ignorant  girl,  Mary 
Burton,  was  arrested  in  a  drunken  den  on  the  suspicion  that  she 
knew  the  secret  of  the  plot.  In  her  fright  she  invented  wild  stories 
which  were  eagerly  believed.  Others  in  turn  acknowledged  a  plot, 
and  soon  this  was  found  to  be  the  easiest  way  of  escape.  Informers 
became  plentiful ;  sheriffs  and  hangmen  were  busy  ;  the  people  grew 
more  frantic  and  less  sensible ;  but  not  one  reasonable  fact  was 
found  concerning  the  origin  of  the  fires. 

Finally  the  fury  spent  itself  after  nearly  two  hundred  people, 
mostly  negroes,  had  been  put  in  prison.  Of  the  black  men  many 
were  hanged,  more  were  transported  to  the  West  Indies,  while  four- 
teen suffered  the  barbarism  of  a  death  by  burning.  Four  of  the 
white  prisoners  were  also  hanged, — among  them  one  John  Ury,  a 
Catholic  priest,  whose  religion  seemed  to  deny  him  the  consider- 
ation of  his  fellow  citizens.  The  disgusting  negro  panic  of  New 
York  city  is  a  parallel  to  the  witchcraft  delusion  of  Salem. 

Admiral  Clinton. — Soon  after  these  events  Lieutenant-Gover- 
nor Clarke  closed  his  seven  years'  administration  and  gave  way  to 
Cosby's  successor,  Admiral  George  Clinton.  With  him  the  assem- 
bly began  the  old  fight ;  they  were  told  to  place  a  revenue  and  the 


68  A   HALF   CENTURY   OF   ENGLISH    RULE.  [Period  II 

militia  unconditionally  in  the  hands  of  the  governor,  since  war 
with  France  was  threatening.'  They  flatly  refused.  They  further 
declared  that  an  assembly  should  hold  office  for  seven  years  at  the 
most, — a  term  then  and  now  the  limit  of  the  English  parliament. 
But  soon  these  quarrels  were  overshadowed  by  the  strife  with 
France.  The  time  had  come  to  decide  whether  the  French  or  the 
English  were  to  govern  North  America. 


CHAPTER  VIL 

THE  FIJJTAL  STRUGGLE  WITH  FRANCE.— 1744-1760. 
K;.ng  George's  War.— From  the  treaty  of  Utrecht  to  the  year 
1744,  there  were  thirty  years  of  nominal  peace ;  then  broke  out  the 
struggle  known  as  King  George's  War.  It  was  the  same  story:  raids 
by  the  Canadians  over  the  Champlain  route,  great  expeditions 
planned  and  equipped  by  the  English  and  never  carried  through. 
This  time  the  French  entered  Massachusetts,  came  within  forty 
miles  of  Albany,  burned  the e  northernmost  settlement,  Saratoga,* 
murdered  many  and  carried  terror  to  the  entire  frontier.  That  the 
advance  posts  in  New  York  were  ill  protected  was  due  to  the  jealous 
fears  of  the  assembly,  rather  than  to  any  inactivity  of  Governor 
Clinton.  The  suspicion  that  he  would  misuse  their  men  and  money 
was  their  only  excuse  for  failing  to  ward  death  from  the  hardy  set- 
tlers and  for  breaking  faith  with  the  Indian  allies. 

The  French  West  Of  New  York. — Peace  came  in  1748  when 
no  peace  was  possible.  The  French  read  the  treaty  to  suit  them- 
selves ;  they  built  a  fort  south-west  of  the  site  of  Dunkirk  on  Lake 
Erie,  they  strengthened  Fort  Niagara,  they  fortified  a  post  at  Og- 
densburg,  they  extended  the  long  dreamed  of  line  of  works  down 
the  Ohio  and  the  Mississippi ;  soon  they  would  creep  over  the 
Alleghanies  and  threaten  the  narrow  coast  strip  of  scattered  Eng- 
lish settlements.  The  time  was  critical  for  the  exposed  State  of 
New  York  ;  the  Mohawk  valley  was  not  safe  ;  Albany  was  threat- 
ened ;  the  harbor  of  New  York  would  be  the  first  great  prize. 

*  The  settlement  contained  about  thirty  houses  and  was  on  the  Hudson  near  the  present 
Schuylervllle.  The  Saratoga  of  this  war  and  of  the  Revolution  waa  about  twelve  mile* 
east  of  Saratoga  Springs. 

(69) 


70 


THE   FINAL  STRUGGLE   WITH   FRANCE,  [Period  II 


The  Albany  Conyention. — To  consider  these  matters  and  to 
confer  with  the  Iroquois  a  congress  of  the  colonies  was  called  by 
the  English  government  to  meet  in  Albany  in  1754.  Hither  came 
representatives  from  the  four  New  England  colonies,  from  Penn- 
sylvania, and  from  Maryland,  to  meet  William  Smith,  Colonel 
Johnson  and  others  from  New  York,  together  with  Lieutenant- 
Governor  DeLancey,  who  since  the  departure  of  Clinton  was  in 
charge  of  the  colony.  Here  came  the  Iroquois  to  chide  the  colony 
for  their  neglect ;  and  among  them  was  their  great  chief  Hendrick,* 

WESTKRN  NEW  YORK  AND  PENNSYLVANIA  IN  THE  whose  Speech  has  come  down  to 
FBENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAS.  ,  ,      .  TT 

us  as  a  model  of  oratory.     Here 

Benjamin  Franklin  proposed  a 
plan  for  a  union  of  the  Ameri- 
can colonies.  The  proposal  did 
not  please  the  king  ;  it  seemed 
at  the  time  to  awaken  no  re- 
sponse from  the  colonies. 

The  French  and  Indian  War :  First  Year,— 

The  next  year,  1755,  the  war  opened  in  earnest. 
Troops  began  to  gather  at  Albany.  At  the  oppo- 
site end  of  the  State  was  Fort  Niagara  with  its  gar- 
rison of  thirty  disheartened  Frenchmen.  Against 
them  Shirley,  the  royal  governor  of  Massachusetts, 
led  two  thousand  men  to  capture  the  fort  and  to 
join  Braddock  marching  from  Virginia.  Shirley 
heard  of  Braddock's  disastrous  failure  to  take 
Fort  DuQuesne  (du  kane),  reached  Oswego,  built 
ships,  waited  for  fair  weather,  and  leaving  re-en- 
Oswego  went  disgracefully  back  to  the  Hudson. 

*  Sol-en-ga-rah-ta,  or  King  Hendrick  as  he  is  known  to  history,  held  the  sway  of  a  mon- 
arch over  the  Iroquois.  He  was  a  Mohawk,  and  at  this  time  an  old  man;  in  his  earlier  days 
he  went  to  England  with  Peter  Schuyler  and  was  there  received  by  Queen  Anne  as  one  of 
royal  blood.  He  was  killed  the  next  year  after  his  speech  at  Albany,  in  the  battle  near 
Lake  George. 


forcements  at 


Chap.  VII] 


FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.  71 

Here  fifty  miles  above  Albany,  where  the  river 
turns  westward  to  catch  the  torrents  of  the  Adi- 
rondacks,  Fort  Edward  was  built  as  the  advance 
guard  of  the  English  settlements.  Thence  it  is 
but  a  short  distance  over  a  gentle  rise  to  water 
flowing  into  the  St.  Lawrence.  In  the  Cham- 
plain  valley  the  advance  post  of  the  French  had 
been  for  twenty  years  at  Crown  Point.  With  this 
point  in  view  William  Johnson,  with  over  three 
thousand  men,  started  north  from  Fort  Edward, 
met  the  enemy  at  the  head  of  the  water,  to  which 
he  gave  the  name  of  Lake  George,  and  defeated 
them.*  Without  attempting  to  go  further  he 
loitered  away  the  summer  erecting  Fort  William 
Henry,  the  first  building  on  Lake  George.  At 
the  same  time  the  French  were  pushing  south- 
ward and  building  Fort  Ticonderoga. 

Second  Year.— The  much  vaunted  and  only 
success  of  the  first  year  was  no  real  gain  ;  and 
the  campaign  during  the  next  year  was  directed 
to  keep  what  was  already  held.  Oswego  was 
threatened.  A  force  to  relieve  the  garrison  was 
criminally  delayed  along  the  way  by  the  com- 
mander, Webb,  a  royal  officer.  Meanwhile  a 
new  leader,  Montcalm,  had  brought  courage  to 
the  French.  One  day  he  reviewed  his  troops  at 
Fort  Frontenac,  the  same  evening  he  landed 
before  Oswego,  and  in  ten  days  he  had  the  forts, 
many  vessels  and  rich  stores.  Then  to  show 


*  A  skirmishing  party  under  Colonel  Williams  of  Massachusetts 
was  defeated  and  King  Hendrick  and  Colonel  Williams  were  killed. 
NORTHERN  NEW  YORK  IN  The  latter  made  a  will  at  Albany  leaving  money  to  found  a  school. 
FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR  That  school  is  Williams  College,  Massachusetts. 


72  THE   FINAL  STRUGGLE   WITH    FRANCE.  [Period  II 

the  Indians  that  the  French  did  not  wish  their  land,  he  utterly 
destroyed  the  well-placed  fortifications. 

A  Time  of  Gloom. — It  was  a  politic  move  ;  the  Iroquois  were 
already  looking  with  suspicion  upon  the  English  people  who  were 
fast  occupying  their  land.  The  Mohawks,  Oneidas,  Onondagas 
and  Cayugas  had  already  been  to  Montreal  to  promise  to  be  neu- 
tral. It  was  a  time  of  gloom  in  the  colony  of  New  York.  Three 
thousand  English  regulars  were  in  the  province,  mostly  at  Albany 
and  New  York  city.  There  at  any  moment  a  family  might  be 
compelled  to  feed  and  shelter  English  soldiers.  The  colonists 
knew  that  such  acts  were  illegal ;  but  in  their  fear  of  the  French 
they  submitted.  New  York  levied  taxes,  raised  money  and  fitted 
out  companies  of  militia  capable  of  doing  efficient  service.  But 
they  were  despised  by  the  English,  and  their  highest  officers  were 
made  to  obey  the  lowest  officer  of  the  regular  army. 

Third  Year. — Johnson's  fort  on  Lake  George  now  became 
a  death-trap.  The  garrison  was  surrounded  by  French  and  Indians 
under  Montcalm.  Forced  to  surrender,  the  men  gave  up  their 
arms  and  were  allowed  to  go  to  Fort  Edward  on  parole.  As  the 
defenceless  men  started,  they  were  attacked  by  the  Indians,  some 
-were  stripped  of  their  clothes,  some  scalped,  and  those  who  escaped 
ran  panting  into  Fort  Edward.  Here,  resting  contentedly,  was  the 
imbecile  Webb  with  four  thousand  unused  troops. 

Fourth  Year. — During  the  following  winter  the  length  of  the 
Mohawk  valley  -was  open  to  the  French  and  Indians.  Palatine  Vil- 
lage was  burned,  forty  people  were  murdered  and  a  hundred  and  fifty 
carried  to  a  fearful  captivity ;  while  the  English  officers  enjoyed 
their  snug  winter  quarters.  During  the  summer,  (1758),  17,000 
men,  more  than  half  colonists,  the  largest  body  of  men  that  had 
ever  gathered  in  New  York  State,  assembled  at  the  site  of  the 
destroyed  F"ort  "William  Henry,  under  the  English  general,  Aber- 
crombie.  The  army  sailed  gaily  down  the  lake  to  the  short,  swift 


Chap.   VII]  THE    RESULT.  73 

stream  which  carries  the  water  to  Lake  Champlain.  There,  while 
Abercrombie  skulked  in  a  saw-mill,  his  misdirected  men  fell' before 
the  walls  of  Ticonderoga. 

The  Chain  Broken.— Final  defeat  now  seemed  the  fate  of  the 
colonies  and  their  king.  At  that  moment  a  captain  of  New  Eng- 
land and  a  force  all  American  got  reluctant  permission  to  do  their 
best.  They  hastened  up  the  Mohawk,  down  the  Oswego,  across 
Ontario  and  took  Fort  Frontenac  without  a  blow.  The  chain  of 
French  forts  was  broken.  The  storehouse  of  the  west  was  destroyed. 
There  were  already  other  signs  of  success.  Pitt,  the  friend  of 
America,  had  become  prime  minister  of  England  ;  he  had  sent  out 
General  Wolfe,  who  had  captured  Louisburg,  the  great  naval  fortress 
of  the  French.  There  were  other  successes  outside  of  New  York  ; 
soon  after  the  fall  of  Fort  Frontenac,  Fort  Du  Quesne,  in  Penn- 
sylvania, was  abandoned  by  the  French. 

The  Fifth  Year.— The  end  was  near.  The  French,  few  and 
starving,  successful  by  unity  and  dash,  suddenly  collapsed.  In 
1759,  Sir  William  Johnson  captured  Niagara  and  the  way  to  the 
west  was  open.  The  French  deserted  Ticonderoga  and  Crown 
Point  to  concentrate  about  Quebec ;  and  when  on  the  Plains  of 
Abraham  the  brave  Wolfe  conquered  the  brave  Montcalm,  and  both 
died,  New  York  and  her  sister  colonies  had  needed  rest. 

The  Result. — There  was  no  question  now  as  to  the  northern 
boundary  of  New  York.  But  the  war  which  made  the  decision 
broke  up  many  families  and  left  the  colony  with  a  debt  of  one  and 
a  half  million  dollars.  On  the  other  hand  the  farmers  of  New  York 
had  found  friends  and  brothers  in  other  colonies  ;  they  learned  the 
unbrotherly  feeling  of  the  English  ;  and  in  their  marches  they  had 
viewed  fertile  fields  in  unknown  regions  of  the  State.  The  fear  of 
the  French  and  their  savage  allies  could  no  longer  keep  them  from 
the  lands  north  and  west  of  Albany.  The  very  forts  became  centers 


74  THE   FIXAL   STRUGGLE   WITH   PRANCE.  [Period  II 

around  which  future  cities  and  villages  -were  to  gather.  About  Fort 
Schuyler  Utica  was  to  grow  ;  Fort  Stanwix  was  the  nucleus  of 
Rome,  Fort  Presentation  nourished  the  germs  of  Ogdensburg.  The 
war  with  its  terrors  had  yet  many  helpful  lessons  for  the  English 
colonies  in  America. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


CONDITION  OF  THE  COLONY  TOWARD  THE  CLOSE  OF  ENGLISH 

RULE. 

The  New  York  of  1760  and  1770  was  no  longer  a  collection  of 
settlements  ;  it  was  fast  taking  on  the  form  of  a  State.  The  shape 
of  its  peopled  territory  was  that  of  a  letter  Z  ;  the  Mohawk  valley 
and  Long  Island  are  the  upper  and  lower  lines  of  the  letter ;  the 
Hudson  valley  is  the  connecting  bar. 

The  Island  Counties. — Long  Island  was  divided  into  counties 
as  now,  with  Suffolk  at  the  eastern  end.  The  inhabitants  here  were 
largely  from  New  England  ;  they  preserved  their  Puritan  ideas  and 
manners  and  much  preferred  to  be  a  part  of  Connecticut.*  Hunt- 
ingdon, Brookhaven,  Southampton  and  Southold  were  the  princi- 
pal towns. 

Passing  into  Queens  county  the  Dutch  element  became  noticeable. 
Further  on,  Kings  county  also  had  its  present  limits,  but  its  cities 
were  hardly  begun.  Lower  New  York  was  not  so  crowded  nor 
ferry  passage  so  safe  and  rapid  as  to  give  an  impetus  to  the  growth 
of  Brooklyn,  so  that  it  was  still  a  village  smaller  than  neighboring 
towns  which  are  to-day  enclosed  within  its  spreading  boundaries. 
The  Dutch  element  prevailed  in  Kings  county  and  grew  rich  in 
market  gardening.  Staten  Island  composed  the  Richmond  county 
of  those  days  also ;  but  there  were  few  settlers,  except  here  and 
there  a  Dutch  or  French  farmer  and  "one  poor,  mean  village/' 
Richmond. 

*  New  England  customs  prevail  on  the  east  end  of  Long  Island  to-day ;  and  Indeed  it 
would  be  more  convenient  for  the  people  to  sail  np  the  Connecticut  than  up  the  Hudson  to 
their  capital  city.  Read, "  A  New  England  ColonyinNew  York."— Harper's  Magazine,  VoLTL 

(75) 


76  CONDITION  OF  THE  COLONY.  [Period  II 

New  York  County. — Turning  northward,  the  island  of  Manhat- 
tan, with  Bedloe's,  Governor's,  BlackwelFs  and  other  islands  of  the 
bay  and  East  river  comprised  the  city  of  New  York.  The  city  itself 
was  then  about  a  mile  long  and  a  half-mile  wide;  and  its  crooked 
streets  extended  to  the  present  city  hall.  Beyond,  the  "  Broad  way  " 
passed  straggling  houses  and  then  stretched  away  as  a  country  road 
among  the  farms  which  have  since  been  given  up  to  the  great  retail 
trade  of  the  continent.  The  business  centre  of  those  days  was 
Hanover  Square ;  while  the  place  for  a  fashionable  residence  was 
lower  Broadway  or  Wall  street. 

"In  the  city,'*  says  McMaster,  "scarce  a  street  was  paved,  and 
these  few  were  so  illy  done  that  Franklin  observed  that  a  New 
Yorker  could  be  told  by  his  walk  as  he  shuffled  over  the  smooth 
pavements  of  Philadelphia."  The  streets  were  crooked ;  Pearl 
street  had  been  extended  along  the  line  of  the  cow-path  to  the  com- 
mon pasture.  Where  City  Hall  park  is,  was  a  much  larger  common 
known  as  the  "Fields/'  and  further  north,  now  without  a  trace, 
was  a  large  fresh  water  pond,  where  the  city  fisherman  often  tried 
his  luck. 

Population  and  Importance. — The  number  of  people  then  in 
the  city  was  from  twenty  thousand  to  twenty-five  thousand,  being 
a  seventh  or  an  eighth  of  the  population  of  the  entire  province; 
•whereas  in  later  years  the  population  of  the  city  has  been  to  that  of 
the  State  as  one  to  four  or  five.  Then,  New  York  county  had  but 
half  the  number  of  people  of  Albany  county  and  no  more  than 
Westchester  county.  Yet  the  city,  compared  with  the  rest  of  the 
State,  was  more  important  than  now ;  it  was  the  capital  during 
colonial  times,  the  centre  of  all  trade, — except  the  Indian  traffic  of 
Albany, — and  it  was  the  social  metropolis.  The  brilliant  events  of 
society  were  not  excelled  by  those  of  London,  testifies  a  royal  gov- 
ernor ;  while  a  local  writer  says  that  the  people  aped  all  the  absurd 
customs  of  the  English  capital  about  the  time  they  had  died  out  in 


Chap.  VIII] 


RELIGION. 


77 


that  city.  Dutch  manners.,  however,  largely  prevailed  and  a  knowl- 
edge of  that  language  as  well  as  of  the  English  was  necessary  for 
doing  business. 

Religion. — The  Dutch  ministers  still  preached  in  their  language 

to  diminishing  congre- 
gations, who  were  be- 
ginning to  prefer  the 
English  preachers.  Yet 
the  descendants  of  the 
old  settlers  clung  to  the 
mother  tongue,  and  in 
one  of  the  Dutch  Re- 
formed churches  the 
services  were  in  Dutch 
until  the  year  1803. 
This  denomination, 
since  English  occupa- 
tion, had  given  way  to 
the  Episcopalian  as  the 
favored  church  of  the 
royal  officers;  and  the 
Presbyterians  had 
grown  strong  from  New 

DUTCH  CHURCH  BUILT  IN  1693.  Englan  d      r  6  C  r  U  i  t  8.. 

These  denominations  had  two  or  three  churches  each.  The  Bap- 
tists and  Methodists,  who  had  been  worshiping  in  upper  rooms  in 
William  street,  built  their  first  churches  soon  after  the  French  war. 
A  Quaker  and  a  Lutheran  meeting  house  and  a  Jew's  synagogue 
went  to  make  up  the  eighteen  places  of  worship  in  the  city  which 
now  contains  nearly  five  hundred  church  buildings. 

There  was  no  Catholic  church  ;  in  fact  at  one  time  in  English 
rule  it  was  a  crime  of  death  for  a  Catholic  priest  to  be  found  in  the 


78 


COXDITIOX   OF  THE   COLONY. 


[Period  II 


province.  For  a  while  Quakers  and  Jews  were  not  allowed  to  vote; 
McKemie,  a  minister,  was  unsuccessfully  prosecuted  for  using  other 
services  than  those  of  the  prayer-book.  The  early  English  governors 
had  as  a  rule  been  more  intolerant  in  religious  matters  than  the 
Dutch  rulers  ;  but  the  spirit  of  religious  freedom  was  growing,  and 
was  soon  to  be  fully  recognized  in  the  State  constitution. 

Public  Buildings  and  Schools. — Beside  the  churches,  New 
York  had  few  public  buildings.  There  was  an  alms-house,  a  city 
hall  two  stories  high,  an  exchange,  and  a  hospital,  just  begun  and 
completed  in  time  to  be  used  as  barracks  for  the  English  soldiers. 
These  were  the  beginning  of  the  vast  array  of  public  and  charitable 
buildings  which  now  abound  in  the  great  city.  One  other  notable 


KING'S  COLLEGE. 

building  there  was,  however, — King's  College,  now  Columbia  Col- 
lege. This  institution  was  organized  in  1754,  at  which  time  there 
were  said  to  be  but  about  fifteen  college  graduates  among  the  hun- 
dred thousand  people  of  the  province.  Princeton  and  Yale  on  each 


Chap.  VIII]  EDUCATION.  79 

side  had  long  prompted  the  colony  to  found  a  school  for  higher 
education.  As  the  complaint  was  made  that  the  New  York  boys 
returning  from  Yale  were  filled  with  advanced  notions  on  political 
subjects,  the  friends  of  the  king  took  care  that  King's  College 
should  teach  a  sentiment  of  submission  to  England.  So  the  college 
officers  were  from  the  aristocracy ;  but  among  their  first  pupils 
were  such  boys  as  Gouverneur  Morris  and  Alexander  Hamilton. 

In  educating  the  mass  of  the  people  the  colony  under  English 
rule  made  no  progress  compared  with  its  material  growth.  In 
1702,  the  assembly  awoke  to  the  need  of  a  grammar  school  and  sent 
to  England  for  a  "  native  born  English  teacher,  of  good  learning, 
pious  life  and  conversation  and  good  temper."  But  the  governors 
gave  the  matter  of  education  little  thought.  Another  step  was 
taken  in  1732,  when  a  free  school  was  established  in  which  Latin, 
Greek  and  mathematics  were  taught. 

The  Southern  Hudson  Counties.— Leaving  New  York  by  the 
Bowery  Lane,  or  the  Boston  road,  the  traveler  passed  through  the 
Dutch  village  of  Harlem  and  then  crossed  the  Spuyten  Duyvil 
(spi't'n  di'vil)  creek  to  Morrisania,  the  manor  of  the  Morris  family, 
— since  1873  a  part  of  New  York  city,  but  then  in  Westchester 
county.  Westchester  was  widely  settled  in  those  days,  mostly  by 
the  descendants  of  the  advance  guard  of  Connecticut  Yankees. 

Across  the  Hudson  lay  Orange  county,  then  including  Rockland 
and  reaching  back  to  the  State  line.  Even  in  those  days  it  was 
noted  for  producing  "the  best  butter  made  in  the  colony."  In  the 
southern  part  of  the  county  the  Dutch  abounded  and  Tappan  was 
the  principal  village.  In  this  vicinity  there  was  great  uncertainty 
where  the  New  Jersey  line  would  finally  run. 

The  Middle  Counties  of  the  Hudson.— Northward  Ulster 
county  was  an  immense  tract  joining  Albany  county  on  the  north 
and  running  back  to  the  Delaware  river  and  the  Indian  country. 


80  CONDITION  OF  THE  coLONT.  [Period  II 

Along  the  Hudson  were  typical  New  York  settlements  of  Dutch, 
Irish,  French,  English  and  Scotch.  The  principal  village  was 
Kingston  with  its  hundred  and  fifty  stone  houses.  The  county 
furnished  the  colony  with  flour,  millstones  and  beer.  On  the  other 
side  of  the  Hudson,  Dutchess  county  began  at  Westchester,  included 
the  present  Putnam  county  and  reached  to  the  modern  Columbia 
line,  then  the  southern  limit  of  the  Livingston  manor.  Pough- 
keepsie  and  Fishkill*  were  its  two  villages,  though  they  were  said 
to  "  scarce  deserve  the  name." 

Albany  County. — The  rest  of  the  State  of  New  York,  settled  up 
to  1770,  was  known  as  Albany  county.  The  city  of  Albany  showed 
by  the  shape  of  the  three  hundred  and  fifty  brick  houses  that  the 
people  clung  tenaciously  to  the  old  Dutch  customs.  To  the  west, 
Schenectady  was  another  thoroughly  Dutch  town,  with  a  wonder 
in  the  shape  of  a  town  clock.  The  fertile  land  here  on  the  river 
sold  for  two  hundred  dollars  an  acre,  and  without  manure  produced 
full  crops  of  wheat  and  peas.  Further  west  settlements  continued 
to  the  centre  of  what  is  now  Herkimer  county.  But  the  traders 
pressed  on  up  the  Mohawk,  at  the  modern  Rome  carrying  their 
goods  over  an  easy  portage  to  the  lake  and  stream  which  conveyed 
their  wares  to  Oswego  ;  for  at  this  time  there  was  no  road  connect- 
ing Schenectady  with  Port  Oswego.  Northward  from  Albany  the 
withdrawal  of  the  French  was  followed  by  another  stream  of  settlers  ; 
Hoosac,  Schaghticoke  (skat-i-kook),  and  Saratoga  were  the  villages 
in  1760. 

Distance  and  Traveling. — From  this  end  to  the  other  ex- 
treme of  the  colony  was  then  as  far,  counting  the  time  taken  for 
a  letter  or  a  traveler,  as  it  is  now  across  the  continent.  If  one  did 
not  care  to  trust  the  uncertain  winds  and  unfavorable  tides,  he 
could  count -on  getting  from  New  York  to  Boston  by  land  in  a 

*  Kill  means  in  the  Dutch,  channel  or  river ;  hence  Kill  van  Kull  or  the  Kills  between 
Staten  Island  and  Bergen  Xeck  ;  also  Schuylkill  and  Catskill. 


Chap.  VIII]  CUSTOMS  AND  DRESS.  81 

week.  Letters  for  a  long  time  were  carried  no  farther  south  than 
Philadelphia ;  but  later  the  mail  service  was  extended  through 
forest  paths  to  Charleston.  Then  a  weekly  mail  to  Philadelphia 
was  started  ;  and  finally  a  wonder  appeared  in  the  shape  of  a  stage 
running  between  the  cities  in  two  or  three  days,  advertising  itself 
as  a  "  flying  machine,"  with  all  the  comforts  of  a  canvas  cover  but 
with  no  suggestion  of  springs.  In  wet  weather  the  cramped  and 
jolted  passenger  could  find  exercise  by  helping  to  lift  the  wheels, 
from  the  mud  holes. 

Customs  and  Dress.— More  often  the  citizen  of  New  York 
traveled  on  horse  back.  On  horse  back  he  went  to  church,  with 
his  wife  perhaps  riding  behind  him.  In  church  they  sat  without 
any  heat  in  winter  except  that  of  a  foot/  warmer.  Indeed,  what  a 
stove  is,  few  in  those  days  knew.  Many  other  household  articles 
now  found  in  the  poorest  home  were  then  known  only  to  the  rich. 
The  workingman  had  no  carpets,  no  pictures,  no  books  and  papers, 
except  the  bible  and  an  almanac,  which  in  those  days  was  sold  and 
not  given  away,  and  which  might  serve  his  children  for  a  reading 
book  ;  he  had  no  glass  or  earthenware,  simply  pewter  plates.  He 
received  for  a  day's  work  less  money  than  fifty  cents  now  amounts  to; 
and  if  with  these  wages  he  could  not  pay  for  his  coarse  food  and  leath- 
ern breeches,  he  stood  in  fear  of  being  thrown  into  prison  for  debt. 

The  clothes  of  the  common  people  were  largely  homespun,  cotton 
cloth  being  an  expensive  luxury.  The  elaborate  style  of  dress 
shown  by  the  portraits  of  the  day  was  worn  by  the  few  rich.  The 
huge  wigs  hanging  down  upon  the  shoulders  were  worn  by  men 
and  sometimes  even  by  boys ;  but  they  went  out  of  fashion  about 
the  close  of  the  French  war.  The  men  rivaled  the  women  in  bright 
colors.  The  following  description  is  given  of  a  runaway  slave, 
dressed  probably  in  the  cast  off  clothes  of  his  master : — "Wore  a 
light  wig,  a  gray  kersey  jacket  lined  with  blue,  a  light  pair  of 
drugget  breeches  with  glass  buttons,  black  roll-up  stockings, 
square-toed  shoes,  a  white  vest  with  yellow  buttons,  and  red  linings." 


S3  CONDITION   OF  THE   COLONY.  [Period  II 

The  Great  Families. — The  many  negro  slaves  and  the  lordly 
families  who  kept  them  made  the  social  life  of  New  York  before 
the  Revolution  far  different  from  that  under  the  republic.  The 
lords  of  the  manors  had  vast  tracts  of  land,  which,  like  the  Dutch 
patroons,  they  rented  to  their  farmers  and  over  which  they  had 
almost  kingly  power.  Among  them  were  the  Livingstons  with 
their  160,000  acres  in  the  present  Columbia  county,  the  De  Lanceys 
and  the  Morrises.  In  the  winter  the  feudal  lords  betook  them- 
selves to  New  York  city,  where  they  mingled  with  the  families  of 
the  rich  merchants  and  of  royal  officers.  New  York  city  was  ' '  a 
nest  of  families;  "  many  of  their  names,  as  Beekman,  Van  Cort- 
landt,  and  Lispenard,  are  given  to  streets  of  the  city.  They  were 
all  intermarried,  but  were  not  prevented  thereby  from  having  fre- 
quent family  quarrels. 

Such  aristocratic  families  were  found  in  no  other  American 
colony,  except  in  Virginia  ;  and  in  Virginia  the  great  planters  were 
Englishmen,  while  the  lords  of  New  York  were  of  various  nations  ; 
the  Schuylers  and  Van  Rensselaers  were  Dutch,  the  De  Lanceys 
were  French,  the  Livingstons  were  Scotch.  As  a  result  these 
families  were  often  found  siding  with  the  people  against  the  royal 
governors  of  England. 

The  Goyernors. — Toward  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century 
the  feeling  toward  the  governors  became  such  that  the  people  had 
no  regard  for  one  who  tried  to  do  as  nearly  right  as  he  could.  The 
position  was  little  sought  for  ;  the  changes  were  frequent.  "  While 
Virginia  had  twenty  governors  in  the  century  before  the  Revolu- 
tion, Massachusetts  twenty-one,  and  Pennsylvania  twenty-five,  the 
executive  authority  in  New  York  underwent  thirty-three  changes/' 
Many  of  these  were  lieutenant-governors.  From  the  administra- 
tion of  Admiral  Clinton  to  Tryon,  the  last  English  governor,  the 
colony  was  most  of  the  time  in  charge  of  Lieutenant-Governors 
James  De  Lancey  and  Cadwallader  Golden.  Eight  governors  died 
in  office  ;  one,  of  a  despondent  mind,  finding  after  a  few  days  resi- 


Chap.  VIII] 


SIR   WILLIAM   JOHNSON. 


83 


dence  in  the  colony  how  the  assembly  would  oppose  him,  hanged 
himself  to  his  garden  wall. 

The  Ruler  of  Interior  New  York.— While  the  governors  were 
losing  ground,  there  was  in  the  Mohawk  valley  a  feudal  lord  who 
was  coming  to  be,  in  his  influence  over  men,  the  most  powerful  man 
of  New  York.  Sir  William  Johnson,  who  obtained  fame  and  his 
title  of  Sir  from  his  victories  in  the  French  and  Indian  war,  came 
to  New  York  when  a  young  man,  to  look  after  his  uncle's  lands 
along  the  Mohawk.  He  gained  the  love  of  the  Iroquois,  learned 
their  ways,  was  made  a  chief,  bought  their  land  by  the  square 
mile,  built  a  stone  house,  called  his  settlement  Johnstown  and 
"became  the  monarch  of  the  Mohawk.  In  this  favored  valley  the 
making  of  the  Empire  State  went  rapidly  on.  For  it  was  the 
farmers  of  the  State,  the  great  middle  class,  who  gave  us  the  New 
York  of  to-day.  It  was  indeed  the  very  countrymen  of  this 
Mohawk  valley,  who  in  the  critical  moment  of  the  Revolution 
turned  back  the  tide  of  British  invasion. 


SAMDY  HOOK  LIGHTHOUSE.    (First  built  in  1TC3.) 


CHAPTER  IX. 


THE  BEGIXXIKG  OF  A  REVOLUTION. — 1760-1775. 

As  the  first  century  of  English  rule  in  New  York  drew  to  a  close, 
the  people  were  beginning  to  think  of  themselves  as  Americans. 
The  English,  too,  began  to  treat  the  colony  as  part  of  one  great 
province.  Heretofore  they  had  adopted  but  one  important  meas- 
ure bearing  upon  all  their  American  possessions, — that  is  the  navi- 
gation laws.  But  these  acts,  which  were  intended  to  compel  the 
colonists  to  bring  and  send  all  their  goods  in  English  ships,  had 
long  been  a  dead  letter ;  at  the  end  of  the  French  war,  however, 
they  were  revived  and  enforced,  greatly  to  the 
hurt  of  New  York's  growing  commerce.  Eng- 
land was  determined  to  have  a  fixed  revenue 
from  the  colonies,  partly  to  pay  the  war  debt, 
but  especially  in  order  to  pay  the  salaries  of 
the  judges  and  the  governors  and  thus  render 
these  officers  independent  of  the  assembly. 

A  Stamp  Act. — Parliament,  no  longer 
under  the  influence  of  Pitt,  went  further : 
They  decided  to  levy  an  internal  tax  upon  the 
colonies  and  selected,  as  the  easiest  tax  to  col- 
lect, a  stamp  duty.  Accordingly  early  in  1765, 
they  passed  an  act  requiring  the  colonies  to 
buy  stamps,  varying  in  value  from  three  cents 
to  thirty  dollars,  and  put  them  on  newspapers, 
almanacs  and  pamphlets,  on  marriage  licenses, 
mortgages  and  other  legal  papers. 
(84) 


Stamps. 


Chap.  IX]  THE  STAMP  ACT.  85 

The  people  of  New  York  had  already  sent  in  their  protest. 
"  The  spirit  of  resistance,"  says  Bancroft,  "  was  nowhere  so  strong 
as  in  New  York."  They  declared  upon  the  authority  of  the  con- 
stitution that  to  vote  away  by  taxation  the  property  of  one  who  has 
no  voice  in  the  vote  is  to  deny  him  the  very  right  of  property.  Not 
only  did  they  assert  that  the  tax  was  illegal,  they  declared  that 
they  would  not  pay  the  duty.  But  the  English  had  little  doubt  of 
easily  compelling  payment ;  and  in  order  to  meet  any  possible  re- 
sistance, they  had  left,  on  pretense  of  further  trouble  with  France, 
a  standing  army  in  the  colonies  with  headquarters  at  New  York 
city.  Moreover  at  the  time  of  the  passing  of  the  stamp  act,  they 
had  enacted  a  quartering  act  requiring  the  colonies  to  furnish 
the  soldiers  with  quarters,  candles,  wood,  soap  and  drink. 

The  News  of  the  double  insult  came  up  New  York  bay  with  the 
first  days  of  summer.  Men  talked  excitedly  in  streets  and  in  pub- 
lic places ;  they  gathered  in  secret  societies  and  planned  desper- 
ate deeds,  they  paraded  the  principal  streets  with  a  copy  of  the 
stamp  act  fastened  to  a  death's  head  with  the  words,  "  The  Folly 
of  England  and  the  Bum  of  America."  The  press  of  the  city, 
free  since  the  days  of  Zenger,  had  much  to  do  in  moulding  senti- 
ment. "  From  denying  the  right  of  parliament  to  tax  the  colo- 
nies," the  papers  fell  to  doubting  "its  legislative  authority 
altogether."  The  Constitutional  Courant  appeared  with  the 
motto,  "Join  or  Die."  These  watch-words  were  echoed  from  Mas- 
sachusetts to  Georgia. 

Organization. — The  Sons  of  Liberty,  the  leading  patriotic  soci- 
ety of  New  York,  suggested  committees  of  correspondence  with 
similar  committees  in  other  colonies.  The  separateness  of  the 
thirteen  colonies  was  the  great  hinderance  to  union.  New  York 
city  and  Boston  were  then  as  far  from  each  other  as  those  cities 
are  now  from  San  Francisco.  The  colonies  at  once  fell  in  with  this 
idea  of  the  Sons  of  Liberty  and  were  soon  united  by  a  system  of 
correspondence. 


86 


THE   BEGINNING   OF   A   REVOLUTION.  [Period  II 


One  of  the  first  results  was  the  calling  of  a  colonial  congress  to 
meet  in  New  York  city.  The  hated  stamp  act  was  to  go  into  effect 
on  the  first  of  November  ;  the  congress  met  in  October,  and  the 
representatives  of  New  York  and  of  eight  other  colonies  adopted  a 
firm  declaration  of  rights,  a  candid  statement  to  parliament  of  the 
situation,  and  a  respectful  petition  to  George  III.,  the  new  king  of 
England.  The  thirteen  colonies  were  now  of  one  mind. 

November  1,  1765.  —  "When  the  morning  of  the  first  of  Novem- 
ber came,  the  streets  of  New  York  city  had  the  look  of  Sunday. 
Shops  were  shut  ;  bells  were  tolling  ;  flags  were  at  half-mast  ;  bills 
were  posted,  saying  : 


People  early  came  pouring  in  from  the  surrounding  country ;    the 
increasing  throng  frightened  the  stamp  distributor  so  that  he  hast- 


Chap.  IX] 


REPEAL   OF  THE   STAMP  ACT. 


8? 


ily  resigned ;    then  the  crowd  gathering  courage  determined  to 

seize  the  stamps.     But  here  they  were  baffled  ;  for  acting  Governor 

Iden*  had  landed  the  stamps  under  guns  and  put  them  in  the  fort. 

As  evening  came  on,  a  solid 
column  of  citizens  marched 
quietly  from  the  Fields  down 
Broadway  carrying  effigies  of 
Golden  and  of  the  devil,  which 
they  burned  on  the  Bowling 
Green.  Then  they  broke  open 
the  governor's  stables,  seized 
his  carriage  of  state  and  burned 
that.  Thereupon  getting 
bolder,  the  people  marched  up 
before  the  loaded  cannon  of 
the  fort  and  vainly  demanded 
the  stamps.  At  this  a  few 

_,.  violent    ones    who  could   not. 

keep  within  bounds  broke  open  and  pillaged  the  house  of  a  certain 
Major  James,  an  English  officer  who  had  said  that  he  would  ' '  cram 
the  stamps  down  the  throats  of  the  people  with  the  end  of  his 
sword. " 

Repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act. — When  the  next  morning  came,  the 
governor  thought  it  best  to  proclaim  that  he  would  not  allow  the 
stamps  to  be  sold  and  then  turned  them  over  to  the  mayor  of  the 
city,  a  man  in  whom  the  people  had  confidence.  By  the  time  that 
a  second  stamp  distributor  had  resigned  in  fear,  and  ten  packages 
of  the  stamps  had  been  found  and  burned,  the  excitement  cooled 

*  During  the  frequent  changes  and  absences  of  governors,  Cadwallader  Colden  was  five 
times  called  to  take  charge  of  the  government.  He  was  now  over  seventy  years  of  age, 
a  Scotchman,  and  had  lived  in  the  colony  for  over  half  a  centery.  He  is  to  be  remembered 
as  the  most  distinguished  of  the  early  writers  of  the  colony,  his  principal  work  being  a  his- 
tory of  the  Iroquois.  In  political  matters  he  favored  the  aristocracy. 


CADWALLADEK  COLDEN. 


88  THE   BEGINNING    OF   A    REVOLUTION.  [Period  II 

down  into  a  quiet  determination.  If  newspapers  were  to  be  sent  out, 
a  marriage  to  be  performed,  or  a  ship  needed  clearance  papers,  the 
citizens  sometimes  delayed  proceedings  for  a  while,  but  finally 
ignored  the  duty  altogether.  When  parliament  heard  of  these 
things  and  learned  at  the  same  time  of  similar  events  in  twelve 
other  colonies,  they  knew  that  the  tax  was  a  failure,  and  in  the 
following  March  they  repealed  the  famous  act. 

The  Liberty  Pole. — The  news  of  the  repeal,  coming  back  by  the 
slow  five  to  ten  weeks'  voyages  of  those  days,  turned  the  people  to 
the  extreme  of  joy.  On  the  king's  birthday  in  June  the  men  of 
the  city  gathered  in  the  Fields,  erected  a  liberty  pole,  and  inscribed 
on  it — 

"The  King,  Pitt  and  Liberty." 

To  the  king  they  were  thoroughly  loyal ;  Pitt  as  the  eloquent 
opposer  of  the  taxation  of  America  by  England  was  their  idol ;  but 
liberty  had  as  yet  no  suggestion  of  independence. 

A  reaction  soon  set  in.  While  the  stamp  act  had  been  indeed 
repealed,  the  right  to  tax  the  colonies  had  been  expressly  declared. 
The  quartering  act  remained  and  was  offensively  suggested  by 
insolent  bands  of  soldiers  strolling  about  the  streets  of  the  city. 
On  an  August  morning  early  risers  discovered  that  some  of  these 
troops  had  cut  down  the  liberty  pole  in  the  Fields.  Crowds  soon 
gathered,  and  in  a  fight  between  some  citizens  and  soldiers  Isaac 
Sears  was  wounded.  But  the  pole  was  put  up,  and  when  a  few 
weeks  later  it  was  found  again  on  the  ground,  it  was  promptly 
restored.  Finally  after  one  more  successful  raid  by  the  soldiers  the 
Sons  of  Liberty  put  up  an  iron-banded  pole  which  stood  for  years 
as  an  expression  of  their  sentiments. 

Non-Importation. — While  a  pole  or  no  pole  was  the  question 
in  the  colony,  parliament  was  preparing  to  place  duties  on  the  tea, 
glass,  paper  and  paints  brought  to  America.  Thereupon  non- 
importation societies  were  formed  to  discourage  the  use  of  all 


Chap.  IX]  SUSPENSION  OF  THE  ASSEMBLY.  89 

imported  articles.  The  idea  originated  in  New  York  city,  already 
the  chief  commercial  city  of  America,  perhaps  excepting  Boston  ; 
and  soon  many  letters  were  going  from  colony  to  colony  securing 
unity  of  action. 

The  colonists,  especially  the  Dutch  of  New  York,  were  noted  tea 
drinkers ;  but  they  even  denied  themselves  this  seeming  'necessity. 
The  people  encouraged  the  wearing  of  homespun  ;  they  looked  with 
suspicion  upon  one  dressed  in  fine  clothing,  but  considered  a  man 
in  a  seedy  suit  with  much  favor.  By  such  means  the  importations 
from  England  largely  ceased,  and  the  London  merchants  clamored 
to  parliament  for  help. 

Suspension  of  the  Assembly. — But  parliament  was  growing 
angry  under  the  refusal  of  the  New  York  assembly  to  provide  sup- 
plies for  the  troops  in  the  city.  Finally  the  English  law-makers 
voted  to  suspend  the  power  of  the  assembly  to  pass  any  law  until  it 
voted  a  supply  bill.  But  the  assembly  declared  the  action  of  par- 
liament unconstitutional  and  went  on  with  its  business.  Then  it 
was  dissolved  by  the  governor  ;  but  a  new  assembly  elected  in  1768, 
in  which  were  George  Clinton  and  Philip  Schuyler,  was  no  more 
inclined  to  yield.  It  was  about"  this  time  that  the  names  whigs  and 
tories  began  to  be  used  for  the  two  parties  in  the  colonies. 

Indian  Lands. — Meanwhile  there  were  serious  difficulties  in  the 
interior.  The  Iroquois  were  restless  at  the  sight  of  the  long  trains 
of  immigrants,  who,  no  longer  fearful  of  the  French,  were  moving 
rapidly  up  the  Mohawk.  The  boundaries  of  the  lands  bought  of 
the  Indians  were  vague ;  the  titles  were  generally  obtained  after 
filling  the  owners  with  rum;  the  settlers  claimed  much  that  the 
Indians  declared  had  never  been  purchased.  The  Iroquois  were  with 
difficulty  restrained  by  Sir  William  Johnson  from  joining  in  the 
war  with  Pontiac,  which  wrought  havoc  in  the  colonies  to  the  south 
of  New  York ;  but  finally  they  were  quieted  with  new  and  more 
accurate  surveys,  and  were  paid  for  the  contested  land. 


90  THE   BEGINNING   OF  A  EEVOLUTION.  [Period  II 

Boundary  Disputes. — Not  even  at  that  time  had  the  dividing 
lines  between  the  colonies  been  fully  determined.  When  Nichols 
agreed  with  Connecticut  that  the  boundary  should  run  twenty 
miles  from  the  Hudson,  by  some  Yankee  trick,  it  is  claimed,  the 
line  was  run  out  to  a  point  on  the  sound  but  ten  miles  from  the 
river.  The  boundary,  after  a  hundred  years  of  contention,  was 
put  back  to  the  twenty  mile  limit,  except  that  the  little  strip,  which 
to-day  indents  Westchester  county  along  the  sound,  remained  to 
Connecticut. 

The  Contest  with  New  Hampshire. — Following  the  lead  of 
Connecticut,  Massachusetts  claimed  land  west  of  the  Connecticut 
river,  and  by  virtue  of  actual  settlement  secured  a  boundary  as  far 
west  as  Connecticut's  line.  Then  New  Hampshire  claimed  terri- 
tory as  far  west  as  Massachusetts  held,  and,  about  the  time  of  the 
French  war,  settlers  with  grants  from  New  Hampshire  began  to 
occupy  land  up  to  Lake  Champlain.  After  a.  time  families  from 
the  Hudson  valley  came  into  the  present  State  of  Vermont,  armed 
with  deeds  from  New  York.  Settler  strove  with  settler,  and  the 
two  governors  sent  vigorous  protests  back  and  forth  ;  until  finally, 
coming  to  no  terms,  the  two  colonies  sent  the  question  across  the 
ocean  for  settlement. 

The  English  government  was  inclined  to  favor  the  claims  of  New 
York,  perhaps  because  the  grant  to  the  Duke  of  York  gave  a  clear 
title  up  to  the  Connecticut  river,  but  more  likely  because  the  Eng- 
lish preferred  to  see  the  disputed  territory  under  the  royal  governor 
of  New  York  rather  than  under  the  chartered  privileges  of  New 
England.  At  any  rate  the  king  decided  that  the  New  Hampshire 
grants,  now  known  as  the  State  of  Vermont,  were  the  property  of 
New  York. 

A  Tory  Assembly. — For  a  while  after  this  favorable  considera- 
tion of  the  colony  of  New  York,  the  contest  with  England  was  less 
bitter.  The  assembly  of  1768  was  soon  dissolved  ;  reaction  set  in, 


Chap.  IX]  BATTLE    OF   GOLDEN   HILL.  91 

and  the  next  year,  when  a  new  assembly  was  chosen,  the  strife  was 
one  mainly  of  families  and  religions.  The  Livingstons  and  Presby- 
terians were  arrayed  against  the  De  Lanceys  and  Episcopalians. 
The  latter  party  was  successful  and  soon  showed  its  sympathy 
for  England  by  voting  supplies  for  the  standing  army.  This  action 
called  a  storm  of  indignation  from  the  people  and  led  to  a  mass 
meeting  in  the  Fields.  The  citizens,  presided  over  by  John  Lamb, 
denounced  the  assembly  for  "betraying  their  country." 

It  was  a  new  experience  for  the  assembly  to  find  themselves 
opposing  the  will  of  the  people,  and  they  showed  as  little  discretion 
as  governors  and  councils  had  in  like  situations.  They  summoned 
Lamb  before  them,  but  could  make  nothing  of  his  bold  avowal. 
They  then  took  satisfaction  in  putting  Alexander  McDougal  in 
prison  for  libel.  On  his  way  to  jail  he  said,  "  I  rejoice  that  I  am 
the  first  to  suffer  for  liberty  since  the  commencement  of  our 
glorious  struggle. "  But  he  suffered  little  ;  he  was  daily  visited  by 
crowds  bringing  flowers  and  presents,  and  soon  was  released. 

Battle  Of  Golden  Hill. — Shortly  after  this,  the  soldiers  added 
their  part  to  the  ill-feeling  by  throwing  down  the  iron-banded  pole 
of  some  three  years'  standing.  This  time  they  sawed  it  up  and  piled 
the  lengths  in  front  of  Montague's  tavern,  a  resort  of  the  Sons  of 
Liberty.  The  usual  mass  meetings  followed  ;  knots  of  citizens  and 
bands  of  soldiers  gathered  in  the  streets,  and  knock-down  fights 
were  common.  At  last  the  tumult  culminated  on  a  January  day 
of  1770,  on  Golden  Hill,  now  John  street,  where  a  body  of  soldiers 
and  another  of  citizens  happened  to  meet.  A  battle  of  fists,  canes 
and  cart-stakes  on  one  side,  and  of  bayonets  on  the  other  ended  in 
no  immediate  deaths,  but  caused  blood  to  flow  freely.  ^  This  fight 
did  much  to  take  away  regard  for  the  mother  country ;  it  happened 
two  months  before  the  Boston  Massacre  and  has  been  called  the 
first  bloodshed  between  American  patriots  and  the  British  soldiery. 


92  THE    BEGINNING   OF  A   REVOLUTION.  [Period  II 

Importation  Resumed. — These  exciting  events  did  not  please 
the  farmers  and  merchants,  who  thrived  better  in  quiet  times.  To 
them  it  was  good  news  that  parliament  had  taken  off  all  duties  on 
imports  to  America,  with  the  exception  of  tea.  Accordingly  the 
merchants  of  New  York  city  met  and  agreed  to  renew  the  trade  in 
all  other  goods.  New  York  had  proposed  the  non-importation  agree- 
ment, and  alone,  says  the  historian  of  America,  "had  been  true  to 
its  agreement/'  In  so  doing  the  colony  had  lost  five-sixths  of  its 
trade,  while  the  New  England  colonies  and  Pennsylvania  had  lost  but 
a  half  of  their  traffic,  and  other  colonies  had  even  increased  their 
importations.  Still  the  people  of  these  colonies  were  angry  at  the 
action  of  New  York.  "  Send  us  your  old  liberty  pole,  as  you  can 
have  no  farther  use  for  it,"  said  the  men  of  Philadelphia.  The  Sons 
of  Liberty  joined  in  the  same  strain  ;  but  when  men  went  around 
from  house  to  house  to  take  the  vote  of  the  citizens  of  New  York 
•city,  they  found  that  1180  to  300  favored  the  action  of  the  mer- 
chants. 

Royal  Governors. — This  was  in  1770.  In  that  year  Lord  Dun- 
more,  another  of  the  oft-changing  magistrates  of  the  colony,  arrived. 
His  short  administration  is  noticeable  for  the  fact  that,  according 
to  instruction,  he  would  accept  no  salary  from  the  province,  but 
received  his  pay  from  the  quit-rents  and  colonial  duties  which  went 
into  the  English  treasury.  When  William  Tryon,  destined  to  be  the 
last  English  governor  of  New  York,  succeeded  Dunmore,  the  fol- 
lowing year,  he  too  took  no  salary  from  the  assembly.  Still  Tryon 
did  not  rule  offensively  but  rather  was  successful  in  quietly  carry- 
ing out  the  requirements  of  the  despotic  parliament. 

The  Tea  Tax. — The  quiet  times  which  followed  were  interrupted 
in  1773  at  the  news  that  the  tax  on  tea  was  reduced  to  six  cents  a 
pound.  As  tea  could  thus  be  bought  cheaper  in  the  colonies  than 
in  England,  parliament  thought  that  an  ingenious  plan  had  been 
iound  to  induce  the  Americans  to  buy  the  tea  and  pay  the  tax. 


Chap.  IX]  PARTIES   IK   NEW   YORK.  93 

But  the  colonists  saw  the  trick.  At  New  York  city  they  organized 
a  society  of  "  Mohawks,"  to  prevent  the  landing  of  the  tea-ship  then 
Coming  to  that  port ;  and  while  a  like  party  at  Boston  were  throw- 
ing a  ship-load  into  the  harbor,  the  Mohawks  of  New  York  waited 
in  vain  for  their  storm-driven  vessel.  When  the  ship  finally 
anchored  in  the  bay,  it  was  not  allowed  to  land  ;  but  another  boat 
succeeded  in  getting  eighteen  chests  to  the  dock,  which  were  found 
and  in  broad  day  dumped  into  the  harbor. 

Thus  in  all  the  colonies  the  final  attempt  of  England  to  enforce 
taxation  failed ;  then  parliament,  changing  its  tactics,  determined 
to  reduce  one  colony  thoroughly  by  force,  and  afterward  to  proceed 
to  the  rest.  Accordingly  it  singled  out  Massachusetts,  and  closed 
the  port  of  Boston.  The  other  colonies  were  awake  in  a  minute. 
Again  in  New  York  city  the  Fields  held  another  crowd  of  excited 
men  led  by  Lamb,  McDougal,  and  Sears.  This  was  known  as  the 
"  Great  Meeting."  One  of  the  eloquent  speakers  was  a  slight, 
girlish-looking  boy,  seventeen  years  old,  a  student  of  King's  college. 
The  listeners  said  to  one  another,  "  Who  is  he  ?"  and  the  word  was 
passed  around,  "  ALEXANDER  HAMILTON." 

Parties  in  New  York. — New  York  sent  words  of  sympathy  to 
Massachusetts,  but  was  much  divided  about  what  to  do.  There 
were  three  parties  in  the  province.  First  tories  who  wished  fair 
terms  with  England,  but  were  intent  on  obedience  at  any  price ; 
such  were  Golden,  the  DeLanceys,  many  of  the  church  of  England 
and  those  holding  office  under  the  crown. 

At  the  other  extreme  was  the  party  headed  by  the  Sons  of  Lib- 
erty ;  such  were  Isaac  Sears,  Alexander  McDougal,  John  Morrin 
Scott,  the  workingmen  and  not  a  few  of  the  rich.  These  men  were 
bound  to  resist  to  the  last ;  they  even  talked  of  independence  ;  they 
collected  arms,  drilled,  and  were  to  New  York  what  the  minute 
men  were  to  Massachusetts. 


94  THE   BEGINNING    OF   A    REVOLUTION.  [Period  II 

Between  these  two  factions  was  a  third  party,  the  leading  men  of 
whom  were  merchants,  lawyers  and  farmers  ;  they  were  determined 
not  to  yield  the  main  point,  yet  hoped  and  sought  for  reconciliation 
with  England  ;  such  were  John  Jay  and  the  Livingstons.  This 
party  was  the  strongest,  as  was  shown  by  the  meetings  held  in  1774 
to  appoint  delegates  to  the  congress  at  Philadelphia. 

Indecision. — "When  this  congress,  sometimes  called  the  first 
Continental  Congress,  took  a  firm  stand  in  opposition  to  England, 
the  assembly,  which  had  long  misrepresented  the  people  of  New 
York,  refused  by  a  vote  of  eleven  to  twelve  to  endorse  the  proceed- 
ings at  Philadelphia.  To  add  to  the  uncertainty  of  the  time,  the 
Sons  of  Liberty,  joined  by  Massachusetts,  bitterly  attacked  the 
moderate  party  for  lack  of  zeal.  Thereupon  the  king,  getting  his 
ideas  through  the  royal  officers  and  hearing  of  the  action  of  the 
assembly,  came  to  expect  that  New  York  would  be  loyal  during 
the  coming  struggle.  He  had  forgotten  the  New  York  of  the 
stamp  act  time.  There  were  indeed  many  tories  in  the  colony, 
since  there  were  so  many  royal  officers.  But  at  the  same  time  there 
were  many  Dutch,  Irish  and  French,  with  no  ties  to  bind  them  to 
England.  The  merchants,  too,  were  thought  more  desirous  of 
money  getting  than  of  risking  their  property  in  opposition  to 
England.  But  while  they  hoped  strongly  for  peace,  they  had  an 
unshaken  determination  to  maintain  their  rights  to  the  last.  More- 
over, Sir  "William  Johnson  was  relied  upon  to  carry  the  interior  for 
the  king ;  but  he  was  hesitating,  and  while  he  hesitated,  he  died. 
Of  the  final  action  of  the  mass  of  the  people  there  was  no  doubt ; 
occasion  only  was  needed. 

Decision. — The  occasion  came  on  one  Sunday  morning,  the 
twenty-second  of  April,  1775.  As  the  people  were  going  to  church, 
swift  riders  flew  past  with  the  news  of  the  battles  of  Lexington  and 
Concord,  three  days  before.  The  tory  assembly  never  dared  to 
meet  again.  Governor  Tryon  remained  with  what  little  authority 


Chap.  IX]  SUMMARY   OF   PERIOD   II.  95 

he  could  hold  until  October  and  then  betook  himself  to  the  man-of- 
war  Asia,  which  hovered  about  the  bay.  English  rule  in  the  city 
might  for  a  time  be  restored ;  in  the  new-born  State  of  New  York 
it  was  ended  forever. 

SUMMARY   OF    EVENTS, — PERIOD  II. 

1664.         Nichols  the  first  English  governor. 

1673.  Surrender  to  the  Dutch  fleet. 
Colve  military  governor. 

1674.  New  York  restored  to  the  English  by  treaty. 
Andros  governor. 

1682.  Delaware  purchased  by  William  Penn. 

1683.  Dongan  governor. 

Assembly  called  ;  a  charter  formed  ;  the  colony  divided 
into  counties. 

1685.  The  Duke  of  York  becomes  James  II. 

1686.  New  York  and  New  England   consolidated    as  one 

colony. 

1688.  English  revolution  of  1688. 

1689.  Union  with  New  England  dissolved. 
Leisler  usurps  control. 

1690.  Burning  of  Scheuectady. 

1691.  Death  of  Leisler. 

1693.  First  printing  press  in  the  colony. 

1698.  Bellomont  governor. 

1709-11.  Failure  of  the  expeditions  against  Montreal. 

1720.  Burnet  governor. 

1722.  Settlement  of  Oswego. 

1731.  The  French  build  a  fort  at  Crown  Point. 

1732.  Public  Free  School  organized  in  New  York  city. 
1735.  Trial  of  Zenger. 

1737.         Revenue  granted  for  one  year  only. 
1741.         Negro  panic. 


96  THE  BEGINNING  OF  A   REVOLUTION.  [Period  II 

1715.         Saratoga  destroyed  in  King  George's  war. 

1754.  The  Albany  congress. 

1755.  Beginning  of  the  French  and  Indian  war ;   battle  of 

Lake  George. 

1756.  Capture  of  Oswego  by  Montcalm. 

1757.  Surrender  of  Fort  William  Henry  to  the  French. 
Massacre  at  Palatine  Village. 

1758.  Defeat  of  regular  and  provincial  troops  at  Ticonderoga. 
Capture  of  Fort  Frontenac. 

1759.  Capture  of  all  French  posts  in  New  York. 

1760.  Navigation  laws  revived  and  enforced. 

1765.  Stamp  Act,  November  1 ;  Congress  at  New  York  city. 

1766.  Stamp  Act  repealed. 
The  liberty  pole. 

1767.  Duties  on  imports. 

Vermont  decided  to  be  part  of  New  York  colony. 

1770.  Battle  of  Golden  Hill. 

1771.  Tryon  governor. 

1774.  Arrival  of  the  taxed  tea. 

Great  meeting  in  the  Fields  occasioned  by  the  Boston. 

Port  Bill. 
First  Continental  Congress. 

1775.  "lyron,  the  last  Hingxish  governor,  leaves  tne  colony. 


III. 


CHAPTER  A'. 


NEW  YORK  IN  THE  REVOLUTION. — 1775-1781. 
The  Revolutionary  war  was  simply  the  last  of  a  long  series  of 
contests  for  political  freedom, — a  series  in  which  were  the  first  peti- 
tions for  a  charter,  the  Leislerian  uprising  against  the  aristocracy, 
the  contest  for  an  honest  use  of  the  revenue,  the  Zenger  trial,  the 
defeat  of  the  Stamp  Act,  the  non-importation  agreement. 

The  Green  Mountain  Boys.— The  men  who  first  gained  a  vic- 
tory over  English  soldiers  in  New  York  were  a  band  of  despised  out- 
laws. The  present  State  of  Vermont  had  been  declared  to  be  part 
of  New  York.  The  New  York  government,  however,  had  unwisely 
attempted  to  exact  from  the  settlers  of  the  New  Hampshire  grants 
a  second  price  for  their  improved  farms.  Sheriffs  were  sent  to 
enforce  the  claims  ;  these  New  York  officers  met  armed  resistance 
and  in  a  skirmish  at  "Westchester  killed  a  man  and  wounded  others. 
In  defense  the  inhabitants  raised  a  band  of  militia  called  the  Green 
Mountain  Boys.  They  were  led  by  such  men  as  Ethan  Allen  and 
Seth  Warner,  for  whose  capture  as  outlaws  the  assembly  of  New 
York  offered  a  reward  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  each. 

Just  as  a  war  between  colonies  seemed  probable,  news  of  Lexing- 
ton came;  and  brave  bands  organized  to  fight  colonists  turned 
against  a  common  foe.  On  the  night  before  the  tenth  of  May, 
1775,  Ethan  Allan  took  eighty-three  men  across  Lake  Champlain 
from  the  Vermont  side,  surprised  the  English  garrison,  took  them 

(97) 


98  NE\V  YORK  IX  THE  REVOLUTION.          [Period  III 

prisoners  "  In  the  name  of  the  Great  Jehovah  and  the  Continental 
Congress,"  and  thus  easily  possessed  himself  of  great  stores  and  of 
that  fortress  for  which  large  armies  had  fought.  The  next  day 
Crown  Point  surrendered  to  Seth  Warner ;  and  in  a  few  days  Lake 
Champlain  was  in  the  hands  of  the  patriots. 

Choosing  Sides. — The  entire  State  was  active.  On  the  day  of 
Allen's  victory,  John  Jay,  Robert  R.  Livingston  and  George  Clin- 
ton, of  New  York,  were  assembling  with  the  delegates  of  other 
colonies  in  the  second  Continental  Congress  at  Philadelphia  ;  com- 
panies of  volunteers  were  drilling  ;  British  troops  were  leaving  New 
York  city  for  Boston,  the  seat  of  action.  Colonists  could  no  longer 
remain  neutral ;  citizens  found  papers  thrust  before  them,  upon 
which  to  declare  which  side  they  chose.  Then  it  was  evident  that 
a  majority  of  the  people  of  New  York  wished  to  resist  illegal  tax- 
ation. Western  Long  Island  did  for  a  time  seem  to  be  under  the 
control  of  the  tories  ;  and  in  the  valley  of  the  Mohawk,  John  John- 
son, son  of  Sir  "William  Johnson,  was  collecting  a  company  of  royal 
militia.  But  even  there  the  patriots  outnu  mbered  them,  and  at  Scho- 
harie  put  to  flight  a  company  of  men  wearing  red  cockades  and  in 
the  affray  killed  an  Indian.  This  was  an  unfortunate  incident ;  for 
the  Iroquois  were  already  inclined  to  side  with  the  English  and  in 
the  end  a  part  of  the  Oneidas  only  aided  the  patriots. 

Military  Events  of  1775. — The  patriots  of  New  York  were 
called  upon  by  the  Continental  Congress  to  furnish  for  the  war 
three  thousand  men.  By  that  congress  George  Washington,  of 
Virginia,  had  been  chosen  commander-in-chief  of  the  forces  to  be 
raised,  and  on  the  twenty-fifth  of  June,  eight  days  after  the  battle 
of  Bunker  Hill,  he  passed  through  the  city  of  New  York  on  his  way 
to  take  command  of  the  crowd  of  armed  men  hovering  about  Boston. 
Philip  Schuyler  and  Richard  Montgomery  of  New  York  were  also 
appointed  generals  ;  Schuyler  was  put  in  command  of  the  army  of 
the  north  with  orders  to  protect  the  Canadian  frontier.  Further 


Chap.  X]      ORGANIZATION   OF   A   STATE   GOVERNMENT.  99 

on  he  was  directed  by  congress,  contrary  to  the  advice  of  wise  gen- 
erals, to  invade  Canada.  But  Schuyler  falling  sick  turned  over  the 
command  to  Montgomery,  a  brave  young  Irishman,  who,  after  gain- 
ing renown  in  Europe,  had  married  a  daughter  of  Robert  R.  Liv- 
ingston and  adopted  New  York  State  as  his  home.  Montgomery, 
leading  his  men  over  the  oft  tried  Lake  Champlain  route,  took 
Montreal,  joined  Benedict  Arnold  marching  from  Washington's 
camp  at  Cambridge,  and  on  the  last  day  of  1775,  in  the  vain  charge 
upon  Quebec,  fell  mortally  wounded. 

New  York  the  Centre  of  Action.— With  the  failure  of  the 
Canadian  expedition  the  first  year  of  •  the  Revolution  ended.  As 
the  next  year  opened  Washington  held  the  English  tightly  in  Bos- 
ton, and  independence  was  boldly  talked  throughout  the  land. 
When  in  March  Washington  drove  the  English  from  Boston, 
he  knew  well  that  they  would  next  attempt  to  land  in  the  large 
harbor  of  New  York.  So  hastening  his  troops  he  arrived  in  New 
York  city  in  April  and  began  to  fortify  the  poorly  defended  island 
of  Manhattan.  The  city  became  a  camp ;  powder  and  muskets  were 
made ;  the  awkward  farmers  were  drilled ;  tories  were  ridden  on 
rails  j  families  who  were  able  to  get  away  packed  what  they  could 
carry  and  fled.  Washington  had  little  hope  of  keeping  Howe's 
25,000  veterans  from  New  York  city  with  his  17,000  raw  militia, 
poorly  clothed,  fed  and  armed  ;  but  he  intended  to  make  the  capture 
as  costly  as  possible. 

The  Beginnings  of  a  State  Government. — Although  armies 
were  gathering,  the  organization  of  a  State  government  was  not  to 
be  neglected.  The  first  step  was  a  mass  meeting  at  which  a  com- 
mittee of  a  hundred  was  appointed ;  the  committee  called  for  a 
convention  of  the  representatives  of  the  people;  the  convention 
ordered  a  more  permanent  assembly  to  be  elected.  The  first  busi- 
ness of  the  assembly  was  to  appoint  a  committee  of  its  members 
to  draft  a  State  constitution. 


100 


XEW   YORK   IS"   THE    REVOLUTION.  [Period  III 


On  the  ninth  of  July  this  assembly  met  at  White  Plains  to  con- 
sider the  Declaration  of  Independence,  which  a  few  days  before  the 
Continental  Congress  had  published  to  the  world.  The  news  of 
the  declaration  was  welcomed  with  delight  at  New  York  city ;  and 
the  statue  of  the  king  was  melted  into  Jmllets.  The  new  State  of 
New  York  gave  assent  to  the  declaration  and  was  the  first  thereafter 
to  receive  in  its  borders  the  hostile  army  of  England. 

The  English  occupy  New  York  City. — Before  July  was  gone, 
Howe  landed  on  Staten  Island  ;  thence  he  crossed  to- 
Long  Island  ;  late  in  the  month  of  August  he  met 
and  defeated  the  patriot  army  in  the  battle  of  Long 
Island  and  following  them  across  the  river,  in  Sep- 
tember, took  possession  of  the  city  of  New  York. 
Washington  did  not  at  once  leave  the  island  but 
successfully  fortified  himself  on  Harlem  Heights 
and  at  Fort  Washington.  This  fortress  was  between 
the  present  One  Hundred  and  Eighty-first  and  One 
Hundred  and  Eighty-sixth  streets,  "the  highest 
point  on  the  island  and  completely  commanding  the 
navigation  of  the  river. " 

Washington,  however,  finding  that  he  was  likely 
to  be  surrounded,  left  a  garrison  at  the  fort  and 
retreated  into  Westchester  county.     Here  he  was 
THK  LOWER  HCT>-  (jef eated  in  an  attempt  to  make  a  stand  at  White 

BON  VALLEY  IN  THE          .          ,  .    -  „        ,      _ 

REVOLUTION.  Plains,  but  was  more  successful  at  .North  Castle. 

When  he  learned,  however,  of  the  loss  of  Fort  Washington  and  all 
Manhattan  island,  he  determined  to  lead  his  army  toward  Phila- 
delphia ;  so  crossing  the  Hudson  at  King's  Ferry,  he  turned  south 
to  begin  the  terrible  retreat  through  New  Jersey  and  closed  the 
year  with  the  brilliant  capture  of  a  thousand  Hessians.  Washing- 
ton never  again  led  the  main  army  into  New  York  State  for  battle. 
Yet  he  himself  and  his  officers  frequently  returned  to  the  Hudson 
to  cross  into  New  England. 


Chap.  X]  BURGOYNE'S  INVASION.  101 

The  Hudson  River  never  completely  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
English  ;  and  thus  that  valley  was  ever  a  connecting  link  between 
New  England  and  the  other  States.  Indeed  this  river  was,  as  in 
the  French  and  Indian  war,  the  key  to  success.  The  failure  of  the 
English  to  connect  Montreal  and  New  York  city  left  the  thirteen 
States  a  geographical  unit.  The  English  entrenched  themselves 
at  New  York  city,  not  merely  because  they  had  been  driven 
from  Boston,  but  because  this  was  a  great  strategic  point,  a  first 
step  in  securing  the  Hudson  valley  and  thus  in  cutting  the  colonies 
in  two. 

Burgoyne's  Invasion. — In  accordance  with  this  plan  General 
Burgoyne  was  sent  from  England  to  Canada,  thence  to  march  over 
the  Champlain  route  to  the  Hudson ;  a  second  force  under  St. 
Leger  was  ordered  up  the  St.  Lawrence,  over  Lake  Ontario  and 
through  the  Mohawk  valley;  while  the  English  general  at  New 
York  city  was  to  move  up  the  Hudson  and  meet  Burgoyne  and  St. 
Leger  at  Albany.  In  the  early  spring  of  the  year  Burgoyne's  ten 
thousand  regulars,  Hessians,  tories  and  Indians  were  sailing  up 
Lake  Champlain.  They  easily  captured  Fort  Ticonderoga  and 
drove  General  Schuyler  with  his  little  army  of  the  north  back  to 
Fort  Edward. 

By  this  time  St.  Leger  had  made  his  way  to  Oswego  and  was 
ready  to  lay  waste  central  New  York.  With  him  was  John 
Johnson  and  his  company  of  tories  from  Tryon  and  Schoharie 
counties ;  and  there  too  was  Joseph  Brant,  chief  of  the  Mohawks 
with  his  band  of  Iroquois.  This  army,  about  two  thousand  in  all, 
was  soon  at  Fort  Stanwix  (Rome)  besieging  the  little  garrison.  It 
was  time  for  the  farmers  of  the  Mohawk  to  awake. 

Battle  of  Oriskany. — The  owners  of  the  farms  in  the  path  of 
the  English  were  mainly  Germans,  descendants  of  the  Palatinates. 
Their  commander  of  militia  was  General  Herkimer.  He  called  for 
all  men  between  the  ages  of  sixteen  and  sixty,  and  taking  eight 


102 


NEW  YORK  IN  THE   REVOLUTION.  [Period  III 


hundred  men,  armed  with  muskets  and  rude  spears,  set  forth  to 
help  his  countrymen  at  Fort  Stanwix.  The  band  of  farmers 
passed  the  site  of  Utica  and  within  six  miles  of  the  fort,  at  Oris- 
kany,  fell  into  an  ambush. 

After  the  first  murderous  volley  from  the  hid- 
den guns,  the  patriots  sprang  behind  trees  or 
turning  back  to  back  loaded  and  fired  ;  though 
outnumbered  they  had  no  thought  of  retreat. 
Men  fought  with  knives  hand  to  hand  ;  tories 
and  their  patriot  neighbors  were  in  deadly  com- 
bat. For  five  hours  the  slaughter  continued. 
There  was  no  battle  array  to  give  confidence  to  the 
men  ;  no  beating  of  drums  or  floating  of  banners 
infused  the  inspiration  of  war.  At  last  the  In- 
dians having  lost  their  bravest  chiefs  fled,  and 

I  the  English  retreated  to  the  camp  about  Fort 
Stanwix.  The  field  was  left  to  the  men  of  New 
York  to  bury  their  two  hundred  dead  ;  for  a 
fourth  of  their  number  had  fallen  in  this  the 
bloodiest  battle  of  the  Revolution.*  Herkimer 
himself  was  mortally  wounded. 

Soon  after  this  battle  a  rumor  that  Arnold  was 
coming  with  help  from  the  Hudson  terrified  the 
shattered  invading  army,  and  starting  back  to 
Oswego,  they  fled  so  hastily  as  to  leave  their  arms 
behind.  Burgoyne's  expedition  was  doomed  ;  its 
fate  was  largely  decided  at  Oriskany.  This  bat- 
tle "  of  all  the  Revolution  "  brings  glory  to  New 


INVASION.  York  State.  Here  her  farmers  stopped  the  tide 
of  invasion  ;  freed  from  fear  on  the  west  they  turned  eastAvard 
to  defeat  Burgoyne. 

*  The  number  killed  at  Oriskany  compared  with  the  number  engaged  was  larger  than 
In  any  other  battle  of  the  war. 


Chap.  X]  A   STATE   CONSTITUTION".  103 

Surrender  of  Burgoyne.— He  had  already  blundered.  From 
Ticonderoga  choosing  the  route  by  Whitehall  and  Fort  Ann  rather 
than  over  Lake  George,  he  spent  a  full  month  climbing  over  the 
trees  which  Schuyler  had  left  in  his  path  to  the  Hudson.  By  that 
time  militia  had  gathered  increasing  the  American  army  to  ten 
thousand  men. 

At  last  on  Bemis  Heights  the  armies  met  and  in  the  two  battles, 
called  the  battles  of  Saratoga,  the  forces  of  Burgoyne  were  first 
checked  and  then  crippled.  The  credit  of  these  victories  was  not 
to  go  to  Schuyler,  for  Congress  in  a  fit  of  impatience  had  put  in 
his  place  the  inefficient  Gates  ;  he  simply  carried  out  the  plans  of 
Schuyler  and  closed  in  upon  Burgoyne.  The  English  general  held 
out  in  hopes  of  help  from  General  Clinton  at  New  York.  But  Clin- 
ton contented  himself  with  going  up  the  Hudson  as  far  as  Kingston, 
and  after  wantonly  burning  that  town  sailed  back  to  New  York 
city.  Burgoyne,  at  last,  cut  off  from  supplies  on  the  north,  disap- 
pointed in  help  from  St.  Leger  and  Clinton  on  the  west  and  south, 
and  beaten  back  at  Bennington  on  the  east,  surrendered. 

The  crisis  of  the  Revolution  was  passed  ;  the  States  were  still  a 
nnit.  France  saw  the  evidence  of  a  strong  people  and  offered  her 
aid.  From  this  time  success  in  war,  if  not  certain,  was  yet  probable. 
The  joy  which  filled  American  hearts  at  the  defeat  of  Burgoyne 
could  not  be  dispelled,  during  these  last  days  of  1777,  by  "Washing- 
ton's misfortune  at  the  Brandywine  and  at  Germantown,  by  the 
loss  of  Philadelphia,  or  by  that  winter's  sufferings  at  Valley  Forge. 

A  State  Constitution.— The  same  year  marks  the  beginning  of 
an  organized  State  government.  During  the  two  years  following 
the  fall  of  the  colonial  government  in  1775,  the  provincial  congress 
meeting  at  various  places  along  the  Hudson  had  conducted  civil 
affairs.  One  stern  duty  of  those  days  was  the  expulsion  of  citizens 
hostile  to  the  cause  of  freedom.  Nor  is  it  to  be'  supposed  that  the 
tories  were  few  and  scattering ;  they  were  especially  numerous  in 


104  HEW  YOEK   IH   THE   REVOLUTION.  [Period  III 

the  south-eastern  counties.  There  were  more  tories  in  New  York 
than  in  any  other  State.  Such  persons,  if  they  were  not  thought 
deserving  of  harsher  treatment,  were  banished  to  the  English  lines 
about  New  York  city  or  were  sent  for  safe  keeping  to  New  England. 
The  temporary  State  congress  early  in  1777,  having  assembled  at 
Kingston,  adopted  a  constitution  largely  the  work  of  John  Jay. 
This  constitution  called  for  the  election  by  the  people  of  a  gov- 
ernor and  of  a  legislature  of  two  branches  ;  and  though  it  allowed 
human  slavery  and  required  the  voter  to  be  a  property  owner,  it 
provided  fully  for  the  civil  and  religious  liberty  of  the  common 
citizens.  The  people  now  proceeded  to  elect  George  Clinton  to  be 
the  first  governor  of  the  State  of  New  York.  Thus  a  territory 
governed  for  a  hundred  and  fifty  years  by  lawgivers  from  Amster- 
dam and  London  came  under  the  control  of  rulers  chosen  by  its 
own  inhabitants. 

1778. — In  the  following  year  the  English  changed  their  plan  of 
war  ;  they  withdrew  from  Philadelphia  and  on  their  retreat  to  New 
York  city  were  attacked  and  defeated  by  Washington  at  Monmouth. 
This  was  the  last  general  engagement  at  the  north ;  henceforth 
the  English  directed  their  activity  toward  the  southern  States  ;  and 
while  their  army  there  was  overrunning  Georgia  and  the  Carolinas, 
the  force  at  New  York  city  was  content  to  plunder  the  towns  of 
the  coast  during  the  summer  and  to  spend  the  winters  with  the  tory 
inhabitants  in  feasting  and  gaming.  Washington  with  his  little 
army  on  the  heights  of  New  Jersey  kept  the  enemy  close  to  their 
headquarters. 

But  the  latter  half  of  the  war,  in  which  many  of  the  northern 
States  were  free  from  disturbance,  brought  to  New  York  widespread 
loss  of  life  and  property.  The  operations  in  the  State  during  these 
four  years  were  of  two  kinds  : — the  Indian  warfare  west  of  the  Cats- 
kills  and  in  the  Mohawk  valley,  and  the  incursions  of  the  regular 
English  army  about  the  lower  waters  of  the  Hudson. 


Chap.  X]  TROUBLE   WITH   THE   IJfDIAXS.  105 

Indian  Warfare. — Early  in  the  season  of  1778  the  Iroquois, 
eager  to  avenge  their  loss  at  Oriskany,  burst  upon  the  settlements. 
Joined  with  them  were  many  New  York  tories  who,  expelled  from 
their  homes,  hacked  down  their  former  neighbors  with  more  than 
Indian  brutality.  The  settlements  about  Otsego  lake  were  de- 
stroyed, Cobleskill  and  German  Flats  (Ilion)  were  burned ;  the 
Schoharie  valley  was  laid  waste ;  at  Cherry  Valley  death  and  de- 
struction culminated.  There  a  fort  had  been  built  and  a  company 
of  troops  stationed.  The  little  town  of  three  hundred  inhabitants 
was  the  most  important  of  the  scattered  settlements  along  the  upper 
waters  of  the  Susquehanna,  settlements  extending  then  to  the 
present  limits  of  Broome  county.  Up  this  river  in  late  November, 
when  further  attacks  were  not  feared,  hastened  a  band  of  seven  hun- 
dred Indians  and  tories  fresh  from  the  Wyoming  massacre  in  Penn- 
sylvania. "Walter  Butler,  son  of  John  Butler,  the  rich  and  cruel 
tory  of  the  Mohawk  who  led  the  raid  into  the  "Wyoming  valley, 
headed  this  band  of  butchers.  They  cut  down  nearly  fifty  persons* 
mostly  women  and  children,  outside  the  fortifications  ;  and  while 
they  did  not  capture  the  fort,  they  destroyed  the  village  and  car- 
ried forty  prisoners  away.* 

SulliTan's  Expedition,  1779.— The  next  year  the  patriots  made 
a  united  effort  to  punish  the  Iroquois.  From  Fort  Stanwix  a  com- 
pany marched  westward  to  destroy  the  Onondaga  towns.  Another 
expedition  under  General  Sullivan  was  sent  by  Washington  himself 
up  the  Susquehanna.  To  join  this  force  General  James  Clinton,  a 
brother  of  Governor  Clinton,  set  out  from  Albany  with  a  company 
of  militia.  They  marched  from  the  Mohawk  to  Otsego  lake,  and, 
damming  the  outlet  of  this  for  a  while,  floated  down  on  the  flood 

*  Fate  had  a  fitting  end  for  Walter  Butler.  When  fleeing  from  defeat  at  Johnstown  he 
was  pursued  by  an  Oneida  Indian  who  "  with  a  rifle  ball  brought  him  to  the  ground." 
"  Butler  now  piteously  begged  for  mercy.  The  Oneida  brandishing  his  tomahawk  replied 
1n  broken  English  '  Sherry  Valley,  remember  Sherry  Valley ! '  and  cleft  his  skull." 


106 


XEW   YORK   IN   THE    REVOLUTION".  [Period  III 


to  Tioga*  and  there  joined  the  main  body  under  General  Sullivan. 
Thence  together  they  marched  westward,  met  the  enemy  under 
Johnson,  Brant  and  Butler,  near  the  present  site  of  Elmira,  and 
easily  defeated  them.  At  this  point  they  turned  north  between 
Seneca  and  Cayuga  lakes,  destroying  the  orchards,  cornfields  and 
villages  of  the  half-civilized  Indians ;  they  crossed  the  Genesee 
river  and  returning  laid  bare  the  country  far  and  wide.  Their 
deeds  were  not  above  censure  ;  the  result  of  the  expedition  was  to 
make  still  fiercer  the  hatred  of  the  Indians. 


INTERIOR  NEW  YORK  IN  THE  REVOLUTION. 

During  the  last  years  of  the  war  the  Iroquois  and  tories  terrorized 
the  valley  of  the  Mohawk  to  Fort  Hunter  and  the  Schoharie  ;  they 
left  their  mark  of  bones  and  ashes  at  Johnstown,  Tribes  Hill  and 
Stone  Arabia  ;  they  even  appeared  among  the  settlers  of  Ulster  and 
Orange  counties.  Before  the  slow-moving  militia  could  reach  them, 
they  were  gone. 

Tryon  county,  which  was  then  all  of  the  State  west  of  the  north 
and  south  line  of  the  Schoharie  river,  had  at  the  beginning  of  this 
murderous  warfare  about  ten  thousand  inhabitants.  About  a  third 
of  them,  it  is  estimated,  went  over  to  the  English  ;  another  third 

*  Now  Athens,  Pa.,  a  few  miles  south  of  Waverly,  N.  Y. 


Chap.  X]  OPERATIONS   ALONG   THE   HUDSON.  107 

were  killed  or  disappeared.  When  the  awful  deeds  were  over,  three 
hundred  widows  and  two  thousand  orphans  were  left  to  tell  what 
the  interior  of  New  York  did  for  American  independence. 

Operations  along  the  Hudson.— The  patriot  citizens  of  Tryon 
county  accomplished  one  great  result  in  that  they  prevented  the 
marauding  bands  of  the  enemy  from  passing  the  Catskills  and  fall- 
ing upon  the  Hudson  river  towns.  That  valley  was  the  hope  of 
America.  The  lower  counties  overrun  now  by  Americans  and  now 
by  the  English  witnessed  many  stirring  scenes  such  as  are  pictured 
by  Fenimore  Cooper,  the  novelist  of  New  York,  in  "The  Spy." 

After  the  English  General,  Clinton,  burned  Kingston,  during  the 
Burgoyne  campaign,  and  captured  the  forts  further  down  the  river, 
there  was  no  operation  of  note  until  "  Mad"  Anthony  Wayne  ap- 
peared before  the  English  fortifications  at  Stony  Point.  Stony 
Point  is  a  cape  reaching  out  into  the  river  below  the  highlands  and 
commanding  the  stream.  Wayne  in  a  brilliantly  executed  attack, 
planned  by  Washington,  captured  the  fort  and  with  a  loss  of  fifteen 
killed,  took  five  hundred  prisoners,  and  destroyed  the  works. 

A  year  later  a  sadder  scene  darkened  this  region.  A  few  miles 
above  Stony  Point,  Washington  had  caused  West  Point  to  be  forti- 
fied in  order  to  hold  the  upper  valley  and  to  secure  communications 
with  New  England.  Here  he  placed  Benedict  Arnold ;  here  the 
hero  of  Quebec  and  Bemis  Heights  became  a  traitor  to  his  coun- 
try ;  here  he  wrote  his  letters  to  the  English  general  at  New  York 
proposing  to  betray  the  works  and  the  control  of  the  Hudson  ;  here 
Andre  met  him  to  complete  the  plans.  It  was  at  Tarrytown  a  few 
miles  further  south  that  three  farmers,  David  Williams,  John 
Paulding  and  Isaac  Wart,  captured  Andre,  the  spy  ;  and  across  the 
river  at  Tappan  he  was  hanged. 

Andre's  treatment  was  very  different  from  that  of  Nathan  Hale, 
who  four  years  before,  during  the  operations  around  New  York 
city,  was  sent  by  Washington  to  gain  information  of  the  enemy. 


108  NEW   YORK   IN"   THE   REVOLUTION'.  [Period  III 

Both  men  by  the  laws  of  war  were  justly  executed.  Hale  was 
hanged  the  morning  after  his  capture,  was  denied  a  minister  or  a 
bible  or  even  the  privilege  of  writing  to  his  mother.  Andre  was 
given  two  weeks  to  prepare  his  defence,  and  was  treated  with  every 
courtesy.  The  contrast  between  the  two  scenes  did  not  serve  to 
bring  the  Americans  into  a  better  feeling  toward  the  English.  If 
anything  was  needed  to  remove  all  further  love  for  the  mother 
country,  it  was  the  treatment  received  by  the  patriot  prisoners  in 
New  York  city.  Here  placed  on  rotten  ships  anchored  in  the  bay 
or  crowded  into  sugar  warehouses  they  died  among  horrors  not  to 
be  told. 

The  Last  Campaign. — While  Arnold  escaped  punishment, 
"West  Point  and  the  Hudson  did  not  fall  into  English  hands.  The 
next  year  six  thousand  Frenchmen,  who  had  landed  in  Ehode 
Island,  crossed  the  river  and  joined  the  forces  of  Washington. 
•Clinton  in  New  York  city  deceived  by  the  movements  of  the 
American  general  diligently  prepared  for  an  expected  attack. 
While  he  was  busy,  Washington  with  the  French  and  American 
army  was  hurrying  south  to  capture  Cornwallis,  who  after  devas- 
tating the  States  south  had  marched  into  Virginia.  Before  Clin- 
ton could  reach  Cornwallis  at  Yorktown  with  aid,  that  general  had 
been  forced  to  surrender.  Washington  now  confident  of  final  suc- 
cess led  his  troops  back  to  the  north,  established  his  headquarters 
at  Newburg  on  the  Hudson,  and  waited  for  the  declaration  of 
peace. 


CHAPTER  XL 


NEW  YORK  UNDER  THE  CONFEDERATION.— 1781-1789. 
In  the  year  in  which  Cornwallis  surrendered  at  Yorktown  the 
thirteen  States  united  under  one  general  government.  Each  colony 
had  early  in  the  war  formed  a  State  government.  During  the  Revo- 
lution, however,  there  was  no  common  government  except  as  each 
State  sent  delegates  to  congress  at  Philadelphia  and  allowed  that 
body  to  do  what  was  necessary  to  carry  on  the  war. 

The  constitution  adopted  in  1781  was  called  the  Articles  of  Con- 
federation. It  had  been  prepared  the  year  after  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  and  ratified  by  New  York  the  following  year,  but  did 
not  go  into  effect  until  adopted  by  Maryland,  the  thirteenth  State. 
The  confederated  States  were  expected  to  act  as  one  nation  ;  but 
there  was  no  president,  nothing  but  a  congress  which  could  advise 
the  States  what  to  do,  but  could  not  make  them  obey.  The  gov- 
ernment was  really  a  league  of  friendship  between  thirteen  sepa- 
rate nations. 

New  York  a  Nation. — Accordingly  within  the  limits  of  New 
York  the  laws  of  the  State  government  were  supreme.  The  power 
to  levy  taxes  on  goods  brought  from  abroad,  the  control  of  the 
harbor  of  New  York  city,  and  the  right  to  coin  money,— powers 
now  belonging  to  the  United  States  government, — were  then  held 
by  the  legislature  of  the  State.  The  State  was  generally  ready  to 
do  what  the  common  welfare  demanded.  New  York  has  the  dis- 
tinction of  being  the  only  one  of  the  thirteen  States  which,  during 
the  war,  met  every  request  of  congress  for  men  and  money ;  the 

State  gave  even  more  than  was  asked. 

(109) 


HO  UNDER   THE   CONFEDERATION.  [Period  III 

The  Western  Territory.— With  like  spirit  N ew  York  took  the 
lead  of  the  States  in  giving  up  to  congress  its  claims  over  the  west- 
ern territory.  The  United  States  at  the  close  of  the  Revolution 
lay  between  the  Atlantic  ocean  and  the  Mississippi  river.  This  land 
was  cut  into  two  strips  by  the  Alleganies  ;  to  the  east  of  the  moun- 
tains were  the  thirteen  States  ;  to  the  west  was  the  territory  which 
in  colonial  times  belonged  to  the  separate  colonies.  The  land  from 
which  the  States  of  Ohio  and  Indiana  have  since  been  marked  out 
was  claimed  at  the  same  time  by  New  York  and  several  other  States. 
The  difficulty  was  completely  solved  by  all  giving  up  the  control  of 
the  territory  to  congress. 

Revenue  Taxes. — While  New  York  was  liberal  in  the  matter  of 
war  supplies  and  its  western  lands,  it  was  selfish  in  taking  all  the 
duties  from  foreign  trade.  If  the  general  congress  was  to  have  any 
power  at  all  it  was  necessary  that  it  should  levy  and  collect  these 
duties.  This  privilege  the  State  had  voted  to  congress  while  the 
English  were  still  in  the  city  ;  but  when  the  English  were  gone  and 
the  revenues  increased,  the  legislature  took  back  the  gift  and 
refused  congress  any  control  of  the  harbor  of  New  York  city. 
Meanwhile  the  State  had  been  making  treaties  with  the  Indian 
tribes  just  as  an  independent  nation  would  do.  This  was  before  the 
continental  army  was  disbanded. 

Evacuation. — For  two  years  after  the  victory  at  Yorktown, 
Washington  waited  at  Newburg  for  the  treaty  of  peace.  His  ill- 
paid  army  which  was  still  needed  to  watch  the  English  in  New 
York  city  complained  bitterly  of  the  treatment  of  congress  and  was 
even  ready  to  make  Washington  king.  At  last  on  the  twenty-fifth 
of  November,  a  day  ever  since  known  in  the  city  as  evacuation  day. 
the  army  of  America  marched  down  the  Bowery  road  as  the  last 
English  ship  sailed  away. 

It  was  a  sorry  sight  which  met  the  patriot  eyes,  as  many  of  them 
after  seven  years  of  banishment  looked  for  their  homes.  The  city 


Chap.  XI]  TREATMENT   OF  THE  TORIES.  HI 

had  greatly  changed.  Shortly  after  the  English  captured  the  town 
a  raging  fire  had  wiped  out  nearly  one-third  of  the  city  ;  houses 
and  churches  had  been  used  by  the  soldiers  and  horses.  One  min- 
ister returned  to  find  his  church  used  for  a  stable,  and  was  able  to 
gather  together  but  thirty-seven  of  his  two  hundred  church 
members. 

A  few  days  later,  December  fourth,  in  Fraunces'  tavern,  "Wash- 


SCENE  OP  WASHINGTON'S  FAREWELL. 

ington  took  tearful  leave  of  his  fellow  soldiers  and  was  rowed  across 
the  river  to  begin  his  homeward  journey  to  Mount  Vernon.  As 
the  people  who  watched  the  boat  move  off  turned  from  the  scene, 
they  felt  the  full  effect  of  the  terrible  conflict ;  then  with  broken 
families  they  began  to  rebuild  their  homes  from  the  blackened 
ruins. 

Treatment  of  the  Tories. — All  their  bitter  hatred  now  fell 
upon  their  neighbors  who  had  favored  the  king.  Many  of  the 
tories  did  not  dare  to  return  ;  and  most  of  those  who  showed  them- 
selves were  forced  by  persecution  to  move  away.  A  mass  meeting 
of  the  citizens  of  the  interior  was  held  at  Fort  Plain;  and  soon  after 
New  York  city  was  evacuated,  an  old  time  gathering  of  the  Sons  of 


112  UNDER  THE   CONFEDEKATION.  [Period  III 

Liberty  was  held  in  the  Fields.  At  these  meetings  passionate 
speakers  stirred  up  the  hatred  of  the  people  against  the  tories.  As 
a  result  the  legislature  passed  a  law  banishing  those  who  had  sup- 
ported the  king.  This  law  was  contrary  to  the  treaty  of  peace 
with  England  ;  it  was  unjust  too,  in  the  minds  of  such  men  as 
Hamilton  and  Schuyler  ;  and  by  the  efforts  of  those  men  the  law 
was  finally  repealed. 

Albany  and  the  West,  —  The  English,  also,  broke  the  treaty  by 
refusing  to  give  up  the  forts  at  Oswego,  Ogdensburg  and  Niagara. 
One  effect  of  this  was  to  keep  away  from  Albany  the  fur  trade 
which  had  made  it  the  lively  city  of  colonial  days.  At  the  close  of 
the  Revolution,  Albany  had  three  thousand  inhabitants,  and  was  the 
sixth  city  in  size  in  the  United  States  ;  it  continued  to  prosper;  for 
the  increased  grain  crops  on  all  sides,  especially  to  the  north  and 
west,  made  it  for  some  years  the  grain  centre  of  America. 

To  the  westward  the  settlers  were  now  pouring  in  a  flood.  The 
Iroquois  who  had  made  war  against  their  old  friends  the  colonists 
were  doomed  to  lose  their  kingdom  in  central  New  York.  To  the 
northward  the  settlements  which  were  begun  before  the  Revolution 
were  revived;  Clinton  county  was  settled  and  received  the  name  of  the 
governor.  Many  of  the  settlers  in  all  parts  of  the  State  were 
soldiers  to  whom  land  was  given  in  return  for  their  services.  Among 
them,  General  Steuben,  a  volunteer  from  Germany,  was  rewarded 
with  sixteen  thousand  acres  in  Oneida  county. 


England  Settlers.  —  The  immigrants  to  central  New  York 
were  largely  from  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut.  The  original 
charters  of  those  colonies  were  so  worded  as  to  give  them  some 
claim  to  the  western  part  of  New  York.  The  claims  of  Massa- 
chusetts were  settled  by  giving  to  residents  of  that  State  a  right  to 
occupy  millions  of  acres  in  the  Genesee  valley,  along  Seneca  lake 
and  between  the  Oswego  and  Chenango  rivers.  Thus  these  regions 


Chap.  XI]      INCORPORATION   OF  THE   BOARD   OF   REGENTS.  113 

were  largely  settled  by  people  from  the  less  fertile  farms  of  New- 
England. 

Hugh  White,  from  Connecticut,  made  an  advance  settlement  at 
Whitestown,  near  the  present  Utica,  and  from  thence  a  wagon  road 
was  made  later  through  to  the  Genesee,  thus  opening  to  settlement 
the  third  great  river  valley  of  New  York  State. 

The  Population  of  the  State  at  this  time  was  a  little  over  a 
quarter  of  a  million,  or  one-twentieth  of  the  population  of  1880,  a 
hundred  years  later.  The  population  of  250,000  which  New  York 
had  in  1780  was  less  than  the  number  of  people  who  in  1880  lived 
in  the  city  of  Buffalo  ;  but  ten  years  after  the  Revolution  Buffalo 
was  simply  a  storehouse,  built  for  the  fur  trade  at  the  foot  of 
Lake  Erie. 

In.  New  York  city  there  were  twenty-five  thousand  people ;  the 
place  then  occupied  but  a  sma]l  fraction  of  its  present  limits.  The 
city  quickly  revived  after  the  English  left ;  the  next  year  congress^ 
which  had  been  meeting  at  Philadelphia,  removed  thither,  and  at. 
the  same  time  the  State  legislature,  after  trying  Poughkeepsie> 
Kingston  and  Albany  as  State  capitals  came  to  New  York  city  and 
there  remained  for  four  years.  During  all  those  years  George  Clin- 
ton was  governor  of  the  State,  being  elected  at  the  end  of  each 
term  of  three  years  almost  without  opposition. 

The  Board  of  Regents. — One  of  the  first  acts  of  the  legislature- 
after  assembling  at  New  York  city  was  to  create  a  Board  of  Regents 
to  take  charge  of  King's  college.  This  school  was  closed  when  the 
English  occupied  the  city,  but  it  was  revived  under  the  name  of 
Columbia  college  and  its  first  graduate  thereafter  was  the  gover- 
nor's nephew,  DeWitt  Clinton.  All  higher  schools  and  colleges  of 
the  State  were  afterward  put  in  charge  of  the  Board  of  Regents ;. 
but  the  common  free  schools  were  as  yet  hardly  thought  of. 

Weakness  of  the  Confederacy.— While  the  State  prospered 
and  its  government  grew  strong,  the  government  of  the  thirteen 


114  UNDER   THE   CONFEDERATION.  [Period  III 

States  was  fast  proving  a  failure.  Washington  was  freely  pointing 
out  the  weakness  of  the  league  of  States  ;  Hamilton  was  calling  for 
a  stronger  government.  Congress  was  despised ;  it  was  no  longer 
the  able  body  which  made  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  The 
great  men  of  New  York  and  of  other  States  preferred  to  be  elected 
to  the  State  legislatures  where  their  votes  would  count  for  some- 
thing. 

Although  the  State  treasuries  were  filling  up,  congress  could 
hardly  pay  its  debts.  It  made  one  last  appeal  to  the  States  for  the 
revenues  of  the  ports  ;  all  agreed,  except  New  York  which  refused 
to  give  up  its  fast  increasing  profits.  The  condition  of  things 
Yas  becoming  desperate.  England  was  looking  gleefully  at  the 
apparent  failure  of  the  United  States. 

A  New  Constitution. — A  convention  of  delegates  from  the 
States  was  finally  called  to  meet  at  Philadelphia,  in  1787,  to  revise 
the  Articles  of  Confederation.  The  convention  soon  found  that 
they  must  write  an  entirely  new  constitution.  To  this,  Governor 
Clinton  of  New  York  and  a  majority  of  the  legislature  were  opposed. 
They  were  unwilling  to  give  up  any  of  the  sovereign  rights  of  the 
State.  When  two  of  the  three  delegates  from  New  York,  Yates 
and  Lansing,  found  that  the  Philadelphia  convention  was  bent  upon 
making  a  new  constitution,  they  left  the  meeting  and  went  home, 
leaving  Alexander  Hamilton  to  represent  the  State  alone. 

From  May  till  September  the  convention  labored  on,  and  after 
much  strife  agreed  upon  the  present  constitution  of  the  United 
States.  Then  came  the  struggle  for  its  adoption  in  the  different 
States. 

The  Two  Parties. — While  one  State  and  another  were  agreeing 
to  the  constitution,  the  opposition  in  New  York  was  bitter.  It  was 
with  difficulty  that  a  convention  could  even  be  called  to  consider 
the  question ;  such  a  meeting  of  delegates  elected  from  the  differ- 


Chap.  XI]         FEDEKALISTS   AND   ANTI-FEDERALISTS.  115 

ent  counties  was  called,  however,  to  meet  at  Poughkeepsie  in  1788, 
with  power  to  adopt  or  reject  the  new  constitution.  The  opposi- 
tion were  in  a  clear  majority  and  Governor  Clinton  was  elected 
president  of  the  meeting. 

Joined  with  Clinton  in  opposing  the  new  union  were  Yates, 
Lansing  and  Melancthon  Smith.  They  and  their  party  were  known 
as  anti-federalists.  They  believed  in  State  rights ;  they  argued  that 
the  proposed  government  would  have  too  much  power  and  would 
result  in  the  president's  becoming  king.  They  appealed  strongly  to 
the  selfishness  of  the  people  of  New  York  by  showing  that  the 
wealth  now  pouring  into  the  State  treasury  at  New  York  city  would 
go  to  all  the  States  alike. 

On  the  other  side  were  Alexander  Hamilton,  Philip  Schuyler, 
John  Jay  and  Robert  R.  Livingston.  These  men  and  those  of  the 
same  mind  were  known  as  the  federalist  party.  They  argued  that 
the  confederacy  was  a  failure,  and  that  a  more  perfect  union  was  a 
necessity  ;  that  such  a  union  would  bring  so  many  benefits  that  the 
State  could  well  afford  to  give  up  some  of  its  revenue.  These  argu- 
ments together  with  a  full  explanation  of  the  proposed  constitution 
were  fully  circulated  among  the  people  of  America  in  the  famous 
papers  of  Hamilton  known  as  the  Federalist.  These  articles,  pub- 
lished in  New  York  city  papers,  were  largely  the  means  of  convert- 
ing the  voters  of  the  State  to  believe  in  the  new  union. 

Adoption. — But  events  moved  the  convention  at  Poughkeepsie 
more  than  arguments.  While  the  representatives  of  New  York 
were  debating,  New  Hampshire,  the  ninth  State,  ratified;  and 
since  it  had  been  agreed  that  when  nine  States  ratified  the  consti- 
tution, it  should  go  into  effect  among  them,  the  union  was  assured. 
Then  Virginia,  the  most  populous  State,  after  hesitating,  came  in 
as  the  tenth  State. 

As  still  day  after  day  the  men  of  New  York  held  back,  Hamilton 
in  a  three  hours'  speech  at  Poughkeepsie  again  argued  eloquently  for 


116  UNDER  THE   CONFEDERATION.  [Period  III 

adoption.  Tears  were  seen  in  the  eyes  of  listeners  ;  the  opposition 
wavered,  and  enough  came  over  to  the  side  of  the  federalists  so  that 
on  the  final  vote  of  fifty-seven  delegates,  a  bare  majority  of  three 
brought  New  York  into  the  union. 

Beginning  of  the  New  Union. — The  deed  once  done  seemed  to 
the  reluctant  people  the  best  thing  to  be  done,  and  the  friends  of 
the  new  government  rapidly  came  to  be  a  majority.  All  felt  the 
more  secure  because  Washington  would  surely  be  made  presi- 
dent. All  strife  in  the  State  was  not  over,  and  owing  to  quarrels 
of  the  two  parties  no  electors  were  chosen  and  so  New  York  had 
no  part  in  the  first  election  of  Washington.  Egbert  Benson  and 
four  others  were  elected  as  the  first  members  of  the  house  of  repre- 
sentatives from  the  State,  and  after  a  time  the  legislature  selected 
Rufus  King  and  Philip  Schuyler  to  be  the  first  United  States 
senators. 

The  fourth  of  March,  1789,  the  day  set  for  the  beginning  of  the 
new  government,  was  greeted  at  New  York  city,  where  the  old  con- 
gress had  met  and  where  the  new  congress  was  to  assemble,  with  the 
firing  of  cannon.  The  new  order  of  things  started  slowly  ;  and  it 
was  April  thirtieth  when  Washington  was  ready  to  be  inaugurated. 
In  his  triumphal  march  from  Mount  Vernon  he  had  come  over  the 
bay  as  he  had  departed  five  years  before.  The  new  president, 
standing  in  Federal  hall,  Wall  street,  received  the  oath  of  office 
from  Robert  R.  Livingston. 

The  inauguration  day  was  joyous  with  processions  and  banquets, 
solemn  with  services  in  the  churches,  and  brilliant  at  its  close  with 
fireworks  and  illuminations.  Such  scenes  there  were  as  well  might 
be  commemorated,  a  hundred  years  later,  April  30th,  1889,  with  a 
glorious  celebration.  With  such  ceremonies  New  York  yielded  np 
the  sovereign  power  which  it  had  held  for  fourteen  years  and  be- 
came an  inseparable  part  of  the  American  republic. 


Chap.  XI]  SUMMARY   OF   PERIOD   III.  117 

SUMMARY   OF   EVENTS, — PERIOD   III. 

1775.  Temporary  State  government  established. 

Capture  of  Ticonderoga  ;  expedition  to  northern  New- 
York  and  Canada. 

1776.  Capture  of  New  York  city  by  the  English. 

New  York  ratifies  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 

1777.  Burgoyne's  expedition;  battle  of  Oriskany;  battles  of 

Saratoga ;  surrender  of  Burgoyne. 
State  constitution  adopted  ;  Clinton  governor. 

1778.  Cherry  Valley  massacre. 

1779.  Sullivan's  expedition  ;  Wayne's  capture  of  Stony  Point. 

1780.  Arnold's  treason  at  West  Point. 

1781.  Washington's  army  leave  New  York  for  the  last  cam- 

paign at  Yorktown. 
Articles  of  Confederation  take  effect. 

1783.  Evacuation  of  New  York  city. 

1784.  Board  of  Regents  formed. 

The  legislature  and  congress  meet  at  New  York  city. 

1787.  Formation  of  the  constitution  of  the  United  States. 

1788.  New  York  adopts  the  constitution. 

1789.  Inauguration  of  Washington  at  New  York  citv. 

A. 


ITT". 


CHAPTER  XII. 


IN  THE  LAST  DECADE  OF  THE  EIGHTEENTH  CENTURY. — 
1790-1SOO. 

New  York  city  in  1789  and  1790  was  a  lively  place  ;  it  had 
recovered  from  the  effects  of  the  war ;  it  was  the  capital  of  the 
State  and  of  the  United  States.  Its  citizens  were  among  the  lead- 
ers of  the  new  government.  Alexander  Hamilton,  as  the  secretary 
of  the  treasury,  was  the  foremost  man  of  Washington's  administra- 
tion ;  his  plans  for  a  national  revenue  put  the  government  on  a 
sound  foundation.  In  order  to  get  a  majority  of  congress  to  sup- 
port his  measures  he  had  to  agree  with  Jefferson,  of  Virginia,  to 
fix  the  permanent  capital  of  the  nation  on  the  Potomac  river. 
When  this  was  decided,  congress,  after  being  at  New  York  city  for 
a  little  over  a  year,  adjourned  to  Philadelphia,  there  to  remain 
until  the  new  city  of  Washington  was  ready.  The  removal  of  the 
capital  was  no  loss  to  the  business  interests  of  New  York  city. 

Parties  and  Politics. — About  the  two  men,  Hamilton  and 
Jefferson,  the  people  of  the  nation  were  gathering  into  two  parties. 
The  party  of  Hamilton,  who  kept  the  name  of  federalists,  were 
for  so  enforcing  the  constitution  as  to  make  a  strong  national  gov- 
ernment. Among  the  men  of  this  party  in  New  York  State,  were 
John  Jay,  then  chief  justice  of  the  United  States,  and  Schuyler 
and  King,  the  United  States  senators. 

(118) 


Chap.   XII]  JOHN   JAY   GOVERNOR. 

The  followers  of  Jefferson,  most  of  whom  had  been  anti-feder- 
alists, took  the  name  of  republicans.  They  were  suspicious  of  the 
new  constitution  and  still  fearful  of  a  return  to  a  monarchy.  In 
New  York  the  republicans  were  led  by  the  governor,  George  Clin- 
ton, and  by  Aaron  Burr.  This  Burr  was  a  young  and  able  man  ; 
he  was  rapidly  growing  in  popular  favor,  and  after  Schuyler's  short 
term  of  two  years  he  took  his  place  in  the  senate  of  the  United 
States.  Clinton  had  in  1792  been  for  fifteen  years  governor  of  the 
State.  In  that  year  the  federalists  endeavored  to  defeat  him  and 
took  John  Juy  for  their  candidate.  In  a  vote  of  16,000,*  Clinton 
was  declared  elected  by  a  majority  of  one  hundred  and  eight,  after 
throwing  out  the  votes  of  three  federalist  counties  on  account  of  some 
mistake  in  reporting  the  returns.  '  There  was  a  contest  at  once;  the 
State  was  in  a  turmoil ;  party  spirit  ran  high.  Jay,  who  had  a  plain 
majority  of  the  votes,  submitted  calmly  to  the  decision,  and  Clinton 
took  the  office  for  another  term  of  three  years. 

In  the  same  year  Washington  and  Adams  were  reelected  for  their 
second  terms.  Adams  was  not  chosen  vice-president  without  oppo- 
sition ;  for  George  Clinton  received  fifty  of  the  one  hundred  and 
thirty-two  electoral  votes. 

John  Jay  Governor. — At  the  following  election  for  governor, 
in  1795,  the  federalist  party  again  nominated  John  Jay,  as  if  to> 
test  the  decision  of  three  years  before.  George  Clinton  wisely 
refused  to  be  a  candidate  and  Jay  was  elected  by  a  large  majority. 
At  the  time  of  his  election,  Jay  was  coming  from  England,  where, 
he  had  just  made  the  famous  treaty,  known  as  the  Jay  treaty,  by 
which  America  gave  up  much  in  order  to  keep  peace  with  Eng- 
land. While  time  has  shown  that  such  a  course  was  best,  Jay's 
action  was  then  bitterly  denounced.  Hamilton,  attempting  to 

*  The  vote  was,  Clinton  8,440;  Jay,  8,332.  This  vote  of  10,772  was  but  five  per  cent  of  the 
population.  At  the  present  time  fifteen  to  twenty  per  cent  of  the  population  vote  at  the 
election  of  governor.  This  shows  bow  few  men  were  voters  when  there  was  a  property 
qualification. 


120  FROM  1790  TO  1800.  [Period  IV 

address  a  meeting  in  Wall  street  in  favor  of  the  treaty,  was  pelted 
with  stones.  At  this  time  the  Livingston  family,  among  them 
Brockholst,  the  brother-in-law  of  Jay,  joined  the  growing  party  of 
republicans. 

Still  the  federalist  party  was  strong  enough  in  the  State  to  con- 
trol the  legislature  the  next  year  and  thus  to  choose  electors  who 
voted  for  John  Adams  to  succeed  Washington  as  president.  At 
that  time  and  for  many  years  afterward  the  legislature  selected  the 
electors  of  president,  so  that  there  was  no  presidential  election  by 
the  voters  of  the  State. 

The  Case  Of  Vermont. — While  national  matters  were  taking 
so  much  attention,  the  State  had  important  questions  to  decide. 
Soon  after  the  formation  of  the  union,  the  long-continued  Vermont 
trouble  was  settled.  It  had  broken  out  more  than  once  since  the  days 
of  Allen  and  Warner ;  the  right  of  New  York  over  the  laud  between 
the  Connecticut  river  and  Lake  Champlain  had  never  been  enforced. 
During  the  Revolution,  Vermont  had  declared  itself  independent 
of  New  York  under  the  name  of  New  Connecticut.  So  matters  went 
along  until  after  the  constitution  was  adopted,  when  New  York 
consented  to  Vermont's  coming  in  as  a  separate  State.  Thus  the 
long  struggle  was  ended,  and  Vermont  had  the  honor  of  being  the 
first  member  of  the  union  received  after  the  original  States. 

Counties. — There  was  quite  enough  territory  left  in  the  State  to 
busy  the  law-makers.  Vast  tracts  in  the  central  and  western  parts 
were  sold  to  speculators.  At  one  time  five  and  a  half  million  acres 
of  State  land  were  sold  either  fraudulently  or  foolishly  at  an  average 
price  of  twenty  cents  an  acre.  New  counties  were  fast  being  formed. 
Fornearly  a  hundred  years  after  the  organization  of  the  original  ten 
counties,  there  was  no  change  in  the  number.  A  few  years  before 
the  Revolution  two  counties,  now  called  Montgomery  and  Wash- 
ington, were  set  off.  No  further  division  of  the  State  was  made 
ujtttil  about  1790  when  Clinton  county  in  the  north,  Ontario  in  the 
west,  and  Columbia  and  Rensselaer  counties  east  of  the  Hudson 


Chap.  XII]  WATER  WATS.  121 

•were  formed.  About  the  same  time,  parts  of  Montgomery,  formerly 
Tryon  county,  once  so  overrun  by  the  Indians,  were  laid  out  as  Her- 
kimer,  Otsego,  Saratoga  and  Schoharie  counties,  and  along  the 
Pennsylvania  border  Tioga  was  the  first  county  established. 

Just  before  the  close  of  the  century  a  number  of  interior  counties 
with  Indian  names,  Cayuga,  Chenango,  Delaware,  Oneida  and 
Onondaga,  were  formed  by  the  legislature.  Steuben  then  marked 
the  limit  of  settlement  along  the  southern  tier ;  Essex  was  laid 
out  by  the  side  of  its  northern  neighbor,  Clinton,  and  from  the 
large  original  counties  along  the  west  bank  of  the  Hudson  Rock- 
land  and  Greene  were  set  off.  Thus  the  number  of  counties  at  the 
"beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century  had  increased  to  thirty. 

Water  Ways. — It  is  noticeable  that  counties  lying  along  water 
ways  were  first  settled  ;  that  the  western  lands  of  Ontario  county 
were  taken  up  before  the  central  territory  of  Cortland  county.  The 
net- work,  of  lakes  and  rivers  which  covered  the  State  rendered  its 
settlement  rapid.  The  300,000  inhabitants  of  1790  had  become 
almost  600,000  ten  years  later.  The  people  had  already  taken  up 
the  best  farms  along  the  upper  Mohawk,  the  Genesee  and  Lake 
Champlain. 

Many  plans  were  proposed  for  improving  the  navigation  of  rivers 
and  for  cutting  canals.  Even  before  the  Revolution  the  importance 
of  connecting  the  waters  of  the  Hudson  river  with  Lake  Champlain 
and  with  Lake  Erie  or  Lake  Ontario  had  been  seen.  In  1792  two 
companies  were  formed  to  make  the  Mohawk  river  navigable  by 
cutting  canals  around  the  impassable  places.  Four  years  later  a 
private  company  dug  a  canal  three  miles  long  around  Little  Falls, 
and  made  shorter  cuts  at  German  Flats,  and  from  the  head  waters 
of  the  Mohawk  to  "Wood  creek,  which  flows  into  Oneida  lake.  But 
the  canals  were  poor  and  costly ;  along  the  rivers  boats  had  to  be 
moved  against  the  stream  by  sails  and  poles  ;  so  that  wagons  were 
still  used  largely  in  the  central  parts  of  the  State  to  get  produce 
and  goods  to  and  from  Albany. 


122  FROM  1790  TO  1800.  [Period  IV 

Roads  and  Mails. — The  country  roads  were  for  the  most  part 
mere  wagon  tracks  over  roots  and  trees  and  through  mud-holes ; 
bridges  were  almost  unknown.  The  road  from  Whitestown 
through  Geneva  was  before  1800  continued  to  Buffalo.  To  the 
northward  another  road  led  from  Albany  to  Clinton  county,  along 
the  old  Indian  trail  to  Canada.  A  post  rider  in  these  days  took 
the  mails  once  in  two  weeks  from  Albany  io  the  Genesee  valley. 

Few  letters  were  written  in  those  days  of  few  mails,  no  envelopes, 
no  stamps,  high  postage  and  costly  paper.  The  New  York  city 
post-office  was  in  part  of  a  private  house  and  a  few  boxes  were 
enough  for  the  city  of  fifty  thousand  inhabitants.  There  were  but 
four  newspapers  in  the  city  a  dozen  years  after  the  close  of  the 
Eevolution,  three  at  Albany;  and  outside  of  these  places  not  more 
than  ten  newspapers  were  published  in  the  State. 

The  City  of  New  York  was  now  growing  faster  than  any  other 
city  in  America.  A  writer  of  the  time  says,  "The  houses  are  gen- 
erally built  of  brick  and  the  roofs  tiled ;  there  remain  a  few  houses 
after  the  old  Dutch  manner,  but  the  English  taste  has  prevailed 
almost  a  century.  The  principal  part  of  the  city  lies  on  the  east  side 
of  the  island,  although  the  buildings  extend  from  one  river  to  the 
other.  The  length  of  the  city  on  the  east  side  is  about  two  miles, 
but  falls  much  short  of  that  distance  on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson. 
Its  breadth,  on  an  average,  is  nearly  three-fourths  of  a  mile,  and 
circumference  may  be  four  miles." 

The  water  supply  of  the  city  was  a  problem ;  the  wells  in  the 
lower  part  of  the  city  gave  bitter  water ;  and  lines  of  wagons  carried 
better  water  in  hogsheads  from  wells  then  in  the  upper  part  of  the 
city, — places  now  called  "down  town."  The  fresh  water  pond, 
where  Canal  street  now  is,  was  still  a  considerable  body  of  water, 
and  there  John  Fitch  was  working  with  a  curious  boat  which  he 
hoped  to  move  with  steam.  The  lack  of  good  water  was  charged 
as  the  cause  of  the  frequent  epidemics  of  yellow  fever  which  visited, 
the  city,  carrying  off  in  one  year  over  two  thousand  victims. 


Chap.  XII]  PROGRESS   IN  THE   STATE.  123 

Along  the  Hudson  River  new  life  was  infused  by  the  growth 
of  Xew  York  city  and  the  development  of  the  interior ;  Hudson 
and  Troy,  places  unknown  at  the  close  of  the  war,  were  outstrip- 
ping the  older  towns.  Hudson  was  made  a  port  of  entry  in  1795, 
and  at  one  time  rivaled  New  York  city  in  the  amount  of  its  ship- 
ping. Troy  which  was  not  settled  until  1789  had  before  the  close 
of  the  century  nearly  a  million  dollars  of  taxable  property.  "  Grain 
and  lumber  were  the  source  of  this  wealth." 

Just  south  of  Troy,  at  Albany,  the  capital  of  the  State  was  per- 
manently fixed  in  1797  ;  and  that  city  has  since  remained  the  centre 
of  the  political  warfare  for  which  the  State  of  New  York  has  ever 
been  noted. 

Progress. — The  year  1800  saw  the  log  cabins  of  the  settlers 
along  the  south  banks  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  along  the  river  banks 
of  the  Pennsylvania  border,  while  Elmira,  Bath  and  Canandaigua 
were  little  huddles  of  houses  which  had  just  been  left  behind  by 
the  advance  guard  of  settlers.  By  1800  New  York  had  passed  from 
the  fifth  to  the  third  in  population  and  wealth  among  the  States  of 
the  union. 

The  laboring  men  were  still  for  the  most  part  farmers ;  but  they 
were  beginning  to  find  other  work.  Iron  had  been  discovered  in 
the  State  and  was  being  mined  and  made  np  into  various  forms ; 
the  tanning  of  leather  and  the  manufacture  of  clocks  and  hats  were 
then  infant  industries.  Among  cloths,  woolen,  linen  and  even  silk 
were  made. 

The  Schools  of  the  State,  in  the  rush  of  this  rapid  progress, 
fared  poorly.  The  first  college  organized  by  the  Board  of  Regents 
was  Union  college,  at  Schenectady,  in  1795.  The  next  year  the 
Eegents  reported  fourteen  academies  under  their  charge.  One  of 
these  schools  was  founded  by  Samuel  Kirkland,  the  missionary  to 
the  Oneidas,  a  school  which  has  grown  into  Hamilton  college. 


124  FROM  1790  TO  1800.  [Period  IV 

The  year  1795  is  to  be  remembered  as  the  time  of  the  beginning  of 
schools  far  more  important  than  colleges  and  academies  ;  the  com- 
mon public  schools  of  New  York  date  from  that  time.  The  legis- 
lature then  voted  the  sum  of  fifty  thousand  dollars  yearly  for  five 
years  for  the  schools  of  the  State  ;  and  an  equal  amount  was  raised 
by  the  local  taxation  of  the  counties  which  chose  to  share  in  the 
distribution  of  the  State  money.  Thus  a  hundred  thousand  dollars 
was  spent  on  the  common  schools,  the'  yearly  cost  of  which  a  cen- 
tury later  is  twenty  millions  of  dollars. 

Slavery. — A  fact  which  agrees  well  with  the  little  attention 
paid  to  schools  is  that  human  slavery  still  existed  in  New 
York.  There  were  at  this  time  about  twenty  thousand  negro 
slaves  in  the  State,  or  one  in  every  twenty-five  or  thirty  of  the 
people.  This  ratio  was  not  so  large  as  in  early  colonial  times ;  the 
climate  of  New  York  did  not  foster  slavery  as  did  that  of  the 
southern  States.  John  Jay  had  tried  without  success  to  prohibit 
slavery  in  the  first  constitution  of  the  State ;  and  as  governor  he 
renewed  his  efforts.  When  he  was  a  candidate  for  reelection  in 
1798,  his  opposition  to  slavery  was  used  as  an  argument  against  him. 
But  he  was  successful  at  the  election  and  the  next  year  partly 
successful  in  his  efforts  against  slavery,  and  secured  a  law  for  the 
gradual  freeing  of  the  negroes. 

The  Council  of  Appointment. — Governor  Jay  found  himself 
Tiampered  by  a  council  of  four  senators  elected  by  the  assembly  to 
act  with  the  governor  in  appointing  officers.  The  governor  thought 
that  the  senators  should  merely  advise  him  ;  the  council  held  that 
they  with  the  governor  had  the  actual  power  to  appoint,  and  that 
a  majority  of  the  five,  that  is  any  three,  could  act  even  in  opposition 
to  the  governor.  This  view  of  the  matter  was  taken  by  a  State  con- 
vention called  to  settle  the  question.  The  number  of  appointed 
•officers  was  large  under  the  first  constitution  ;  such  officers  as  mayors 
of  cities,  sheriffs  of  counties  and  justices  of  the  peace  were  then  ap- 


Chap.  XII]  DOWNFALL  OF  THE   FEDERALISTS.  125 

pointed  by  the  governor  and  his  council.  Not  even  the  veto  power 
was  given  to  the  governor  under  the  first  constitution,  but  it  was 
vested  in  another  council,  called  the  council  of  revision. 

The  Trouble  with  France.— State  politics  now  gave  way  to 
the  excitement  caused  by  the  threatened  war  with  France.  When, 
a  few  years  before,  Genet  (zheh'na)  came  from  France  to  excite  sym- 
pathy for  his  country,  he  was  heartily  received  by  the  republicans 
of  New  York  and  married  a  daughter  of  George  Clinton.  But  in 
1798  there  was  less  sympathy  for  the  French  government  which  so 
basely  insulted  the  United  States.  It  was  decided  to  fortify  New 
York  city,  which  had  fallen  an  easy  prey  to  the  English  army,  at  a 
cost  of  over  a  million  dollars ;  and  Hamilton  was  under  the  aged 
Washington  to  be  the  real  leader  of  the  army.  But  the  army  never 
was  needed  ;  and  the  mistakes  of  President  Adams  in  dealing  with 
the  trouble  with  France  helped  to  bring  about  the  defeat  of  the 
federalist  party  at  the  next  national  election. 

Defeat  of  the  Federalists. — The  year  1800  marks  the  downfall 
of  the  federalist  party.  The  death  of  Washington  and  the  ill-feel- 
ing between  the  federalist  leaders,  Hamilton  and  Adams,  hastened 
the  defeat.  New  York,  as  has  happened  so  often  since,  was  the 
State  which  decided  the  presidential  election.  When  the  legisla- 
ture chose  electors  favorable  to  Jefferson,  the  defeat  of  Adams  was 
certain. 

The  next  year  John  Jay  refused  to  be  again  a  candidate  for  gov- 
ernor ;  and  George  Clinton,  after  six  years  of  private  life,  was 
elected  for  a  seventh  term  governor  of  the  State  of  New  York. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
PARTY  STRIFE  AXD  XATIOXAL  WAR. — 1801-1815. 

When  in  the  opening  year  of  the  century  George  Clinton  again 
became  governor,  he  at  once  discharged  all  office-holders  not  of  his 
party.  This  was  the  beginning  of  the  spoils  system  in  the  politics 
of  Xew  York.  Jay  refused  to  remove  competent  officers,  whom 
Clinton  had  left  in  office  ;  hut  henceforth  party  allegiance  rather 
than  ability  was  to  be  the  first  test  of  the  public  service. 

Leaders  and  Factions. — The  republican  party  was  now  in  full 

3,  control  of  the  State.  Among  the 
party  leaders  were  Aaron  Burr, 
j  Robert  R.  Livingston  and  DeWitt 
Clinton.  Burr  had  reached  the 
high  office  of  vice-president  of  the 
United  States  ;  but  he  was  looked 
upon  with  distrust ;  since  he  had 
Ibeen  willing  that  a  defect  in 
j  the  constitution  should  give  him 
the  presidency,  an  office  to  which 
the  people  had  elected  Thomas 
Jefferson.  Chancellor  *  Robert 
R.  Livingston  was  appointed  min- 
ister to  France  by  President  Jef- 
ferson and  there  negotiated  the 

GEOBGE  CLINTON.  purchase  of  Louisiana.     Another 

distinguished  citizen  of  New  York  had  represented  the  nation  at 
the  court  of  France,  Gouverneur  Morris.     Just  before  the  federalist 

•The  chancellor  was  the  chief  judpe  of  the  court  of  chancery,  au  officer  not  named  in 
the  present  constitution  of  the  State. 

(126) 


Chap.  XIII]  HAMILTON   AND   BURR.  127 

party  lost   control  of  the  legislature,  Morris  was  elected  to  the 
United  States  senate. 

The  man  destined  to  be  the  most  notable  of  the  leaders  of  the 
time  was  DeWitt  Clinton.  As  his  uncle  had  led  New  York  for  a 
quarter  of  a  century,  so  he  was  to  be  a  leader  in  the  State  during  the 
first  twenty-five  years  of  the  nineteenth  century.  He  began  public 
life  as  the  secretary  of  George  Clinton  ;  in  1802  he  was  elected  to 
the  United  States  senate,  but  soon  resigned  to  accept  an  appoint- 
ment as  mayor  of  New  York  city,  a  place  at  that  time  of  more 
political  power. 

The  methods  of  politicians  were  less  criticised  then  than  they  are 
now.  Members  of  the  legislature  voted  charters  for  banks  and  in 
return  openly  received  stock  at  special  prices.  Party  strife  was 
bitter  and  called  forth  personal  hatred.  The  powerful  republican 
party  was  soon  split  into  factions,  one  known  as  Burrites  and  the 
other  as  the  Clinton  and  Livingston  faction.  Burr,  though  strong 
in  the  State,  received  a  national  rebuke  for  his  readiness  to  be 
made  president  in  1800  by  being  left  off  the  ticket  when  Jefferson 
was  reflected  in  1804.  In  his  place  George  Clinton  was  chosen  vice- 
president.*  Burr,  smarting  under  this  treatment,  turned  to  his 
State  for  vindication  and  announced  himself  as  an  independent 
candidate  for  governor  to  succeed  Clinton.  He  was  supported 
largely  by  the  federalists,  but  failed  to  get  all  their  votes  on  account 
of  the  opposition  of  Hamilton.  As  a  result  Burr  was  defeated  and 
the  regular  republican  candidate,  Morgan  Lewis,  was  elected. 

Hamilton  and  Burr. — Burr  now  turned  his  hatred  upon  Ham- 
ilton and  easily  made  an  excuse  to  challenge  him  to  a  duel.  Duel- 
ing, then  so  popular  in  the  southern  States,  was  tolerated  in  New 
York.  DeWitt  Clinton  had  fought  a  duel ;  Brockholst  Livingston 

*  George  Clinton  was  vice-president  from  1804  to  1812,  dying  in  office  in  that  year  at  the 
age  of  seventy-three. 


128  PARTY    STRIFE   AND   NATIONAL   WAR  [Period  IV 

had  killed  a  man  on  Manhattan  island ;  and  a  son  of  Hamilton  had 
in  a  like  combat  been  fatally  wounded. 

Hamilton  was  goaded  into  accepting  the  challenge  of  Burr.  One 
early  July  morning  of  1804  the  two  met  across  the  river  from  New 
York  city  on  the  New  Jersey  shore.  That  famous  duel  resulted  in 
the  death  of  the  greatest  statesman  that  New  York  has  ever  given 
to  the  union  ;  it  forever  blasted  the  hopes  of  an  ambitious  politician, 
and  made  dueling  a  crime. 

Detested  by  the  people,  Burr  fled  from  the  State,  boldly  plotted 
treason  against  the  government,  lived  an  adventurous  life  in  Europe, 
and  finally  returned  to  live  in  New  York  city  to  a  soured  and  use- 
less old  age. 

Education. — Morgan  Lewis,  who  defeated  Aaron  Burr  and  thus 
became  the  third  governor  of  New  York,  was  interested  in  schools. 
The  appropriation  of  fifty  thousand  dollars  a  year  ran  out  in  1800, 
and  since  then  the  legislature  had  tried  to  raise  money  for  the  schools 
by  a  lottery.  In  1805,  at  the  recommendation  of  Governor  Lewis 
the  proceeds  of  five  hundred  thousand  acres  of  the  State  lands  were 
set  aside,  the  interest  of  which  was  forever  to  be  used  for  the  schools 
of  the  State.  This  was  the  beginning  of  the  permanent  school  fund. 

The  State  did  not  as  yet  provide  any  free  public  schools  ;  but  at 
this  time  a  free  school  society  was  formed  in  New  York  city  by 
private  subscription  and  State  aid,  to  give  an  education  to  poor 
children.  In  1809  the  first  free  school  building  in  New  York  city 
was  completed  ;  but  it  was  a  charity  school :  it  was  yet  to  be  years 
before  free  schools  were  thrown  open  to  all ;  before  the  law-makers 
ceased  to  offer  education  as  a  charity  to  the  poor,  and  began  to 
realize  that  it  is  their  first  duty  to  provide  an  education  for  all. 

General  Advancement. — Several  events  in  and  about  the  year 
1807  mark  it  as  a  time  of  awakening  not  only  in  education  but  in 
morals,  literature  and  mechanical  arts.  Prisons  began  to  be  built 


Chap.  XIII]  THE   FIRST   STEAMBOAT.  129 

with  some  thought  of  cleanliness  and  decency,  from  which  crim- 
inals would  come  out  better  instead  of  worse ;  in  New  York  city 
the  first  insane  asylum  was  built,  and  public  hospitals  were  erected. 
Doctors,  by  a  law  of  the  State,  were  required  to  show  some  fitness 
for  their  work,  whereas  before  they  had  practiced  medicine  with- 
out a  license. 

In  New  York  city  there  were  eight  daily  papers ;  one  of  them, 
the  Evening  Post,  began  its  life  with  the  century  ;  another  the 
Commercial  Advertiser,  had  once  had  for  its  editor  Noah  Webster, 
whose  speller  educated  a  generation  of  Americans  and  whose  dic- 
tionary has  instructed  all  English-speaking  people.  Washington 
Irving,  the  first  master  of  American  literature,  was  publishing  the 
Salmagundi  and  making  men  laugh  with  his  Knickerbocker's  His- 
tory of  New  York.  An  awakening  interest  in  the  history  of  the 
State  was  shown  by  the  formation  of  the  New  York  Historical 
society,  an  association  which  has  in  many  ways  added  to  the  fame 
of  New  York.  In  1809,  this  society  modestly  celebrated  the  two 
hundredth  anniversary  of  Hudson's  discovery. 

In  the  history  of  manufactures  a  notable  event  was  the  building 
of  cotton  mills  at  Whitesboro  and  of  a  woolen  mill  at  Oriskany, 
"believed  now  to  be  the  oldest  wool-making  institution  in  the 
United  States,"  where  broadcloth  worth  twelve  dollars  a  yard  was 
made  from  wool  costing  a  dollar  and  a  quarter  a  pound. 

The  First  Steamboat. — But  the  most  remarkable  event  in  the 
history  of  inventions  which  occurred  within  the  bounds  of  the 
State  was  the  running  of  the  first  successful  steamboat.  In  1807 
the  Clermont  made  the  trip  from  New  York  city  to  Albany  ;  the 
boat  was  made  by  Robert  Fulton,  encouraged  and  aided  by  Robert 
R.  Livingston.  On  the  seventh  of  August  the  rude  craft  lay  at  its 
dock  ready  to  begin  a  journey  against  wind  and  tide  ;  the  uncovered 
paddle  wheels  began  to  turn  and  the  boat  moved  away  from  the 
derisive  crowd  which  lined  the  shore  of  the  Hudson.  On  it  went 


130  PARTY   STRIFE   AtfD   NATIONAL   WAR.  [Period  IV 

through  the  Palisades,  making  one  frightened  farmer  think  that  he 
had  seen  "  the  devil  on  his  way  to  Albany  in  a  saw-mill  "\  and  after 
a  triumphant  trip  of  thirty-two  hours  it  steamed  up  to  the  Albany 
wharf. 

Fulton  did  not  invent  the  steamboat ;  John  Fitch  and  others 
had  moved  boats  by  the  use  of  steam  power ;  but  Fulton  was  the 
first  man  to  make  a  paying  steamboat.  At  that  time  sail  boats 
made  the  trip  between  Albany  and  New  York  city  in  from  two  to 
five  days,  according  to  the  wind  ;  and  the  charge  for  such  a  trip 
including  board  was  from  six  to  ten  dollars.  The  Clermont  became 
a  regular  passenger  boat ;  improvements  in  steam  navigation  fol- 
lowed, until  thirty  years  later  steamboats  crossed  the  ocean, 

The  Embargo. — The  improved  navigation  of  the  Hudson  river 
made  the  need  of  a  water  way  to  the  interior  more  keenly  felt.  The 
State  was  urged  to  build  canals.  The  legislature  ordered  the 
Mohawk  route  surveyed  ;  but  before  it  was  ready  to  act,  threatened 
war  with  England  prevented  all  thought  of  interior  improvement. 

When  England  and  France  in  their  quarrel  with  each  other  shut 
out  our  ships  from  their  ports,  our  government,  hoping  to  force 
them  to  terms,  decreed  an  embargo.  The  embargo  forbade  foreign 
ships  from  entering  our  harbors  and  prevented  any  ship  from  sailing 
to  a  foreign  port.  At  that  time  New  York  city  had  in  its  foreign 
trade  fairly  outstripped  its  rivals,  Boston  and  Philadelphia,  and 
was  the  commercial  centre  of  the  continent.  The  State  by  means 
of  its  commerce  and  agriculture  had  taken  second  rank  in  popula- 
tion among  the  States  of  the  union.  But  the  embargo  fell  like  a 
blight.  The  business  of  New  York  city  was  at  a  standstill ;  ships 
rotted  at  the  docks ;  warehouses  and  stores  were  closed ;  farmers 
found  no  market  for  their  produce. 

A  Change  in  Governor  and  in  President. — The  embargo  was 
laid  in  the  last  months  of  1807  ;  during  the  same  year  an  election 


Chap.  XIII 

for  governor  occurred. 

¥ 


THE   WAR   QUESTION. 


131 


After  the  scattering  of  the  Burrites,  the 
republican  party,  or  the  demo- 
crats, as  they  now  began  to  be 
called,  again  split  into  factions. 
DeWitt  Clinton  and  his  followers 
had  quarreled  with  the  Living- 
stons and  Governor  Lewis;  Clin- 
ton after  looking  about  for  a 
candidate  to  oppose  Lewis  se- 
lected a  young  judge,  Daniel  D. 
Tompkins,and  succeeded  in  elect- 
ing him.  For  himself  DeWitt 
Clinton  had  the  presidency  in 
view,  as  the  next  year,  1808, 
would  bring  the  fifth  presidential 
election.  As  Jefferson  was  to  re- 
tire, it  was  argued  with  some 

DANIEL  D.  TOMPKINS.  show  of  reason  that  the  president, 

who  at  four  elections  had  come  from  Virginia,  should  be  taken  from 
New  York.  The  democratic  party,  however,  selected  Madison  of 
Virginia  as  its  candidate,  and  New  York  had  to  be  content  with 
the  reelection  of  George  Clinton  to  the  vice-presidency. 

The  War  Question. — President  Madison  took  office  in  a  stormy 
time.  War  with  England  was  at  hand.  The  embargo  had  been 
raised  on  the  retirement  of  Jefferson  in  the  spring  of  1809  ;  it  had 
been  a  disastrous  experiment  and  had  not  hindered  the  English  in 
their  attempts  to  ruin  our  commerce ;  war  seemed  to  many  to  be 
the  only  recourse.  To  this  a  majority  of  the  people  of  New  York 
and  New  England  were  opposed  ;  for  a  war  would  fall  most  heavily 
upon  those  commercial  States.  The  opposition  to  a-  war  revived  for 
a  while  the  federalist  party  at  the  north ;  and  in  New  York,  for 
the  first  time  in  ten  years,  they  controlled  the  legislature  and  the 


132  PARTY   STRIFE   AND   NATIONAL   WAR.          [Period  IV 

council  of  appointment.  They  replaced  democratic  officers  with 
federalists,  only  to  have  them  swept  from  office  when  the  next  elec- 
tion brought  the  usual  democratic  success. 

The  war  party  was  increasing  fast,  for  the  acts  of  England  were 
becoming  more  and  more  unbearable ;  the  English  searched  our 
vessels,  imprisoned  our  seamen,  held  the  western  forts  which  at  the 
peace  of  1783  they  had  agreed  to  give  up,  and  incited  the  Indians 
to  slaughter.  Still  President  Madison  strove  for  peace  and  only 
when  persuaded  that  his  reelection  in  1812  depended  on  favoring 
war  with  England  did  he  join  the  war  party.  The  federalist  party 
had  no  candidate  for  the  presidency  ;  but  the  opponents  of  Madison 
supported  DeWitt  Clinton  of  New  York  and  though  they  carried 
seven  States,  failed  to  elect  him. 

The  War  of  1812.— Before  the  presidential  election  of  1812, 
however,  the  war  had  actually  begun.  In  this  war  New  York  from 
her  position  was  a  most  important  State,  but  it  was  not  so  much 
exposed  as  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  The  conflict  raged  more 
to  the  westward  ;  and  while  the  border  line  of  the  State  was  longer 
than  in  the  first  war  with  England,  yet  no  incursions  of  the  enemy 
pierced  the  interior ;  no  valleys  suffered  from  the  Indian's  fire  and 
scalping  knife  ;  and  above  all  New  York  city  did  not  fall  into  the 
hands  of  the  enemy. 

Along  the  Border. — At  the  extreme  west  of  the  State,  the 
Niagara  river  separates  but  narrowly  the  two  countries ;  and  here 
along  a  line  of  thirty  miles  the  battles  raged  for  three  years.  From 
Buffalo  and  Black  Rock  northward  through  Lewiston  to  Fort 
Niagara  on  Lake  Ontario,  the  Americans  held  a  line  of  defences, 
while  across  the  river  the  English  fortified  Fort  Erie  opposite 
Buffalo  and  strengthened  their  border  through  Queenstown  to  Fort 
George.  « 

Back  and  forth  over  the  Niagara  river  the  two  armies  crossed  and 
recrossed.  On  the  Canadian  side  of  the  stream  our  armies  gained 


Chap.  XIII] 


ALONG  THE   BORDER. 


133 


NEW  YOBK.  IN  me  WAR  or  1812. 


great  glory  but  little  advantage  at  the 
battles  of  Queenstown  Heights  and  of 
Lundy's  Lane  ;  they  made  little  head- 
way into  Canada.  On  the  other  hand 
western  New  York  was  in  danger  of 
the  enemy.  The  little  villages  of  Buf- 
falo and  Black  Rock  and  others  along 
the  border  of  Lake  Ontario  were  burned 
by  the  English  aided  by  a  small  rem- 
nant of  the  Iroquois.  At  last  the  cap- 
ture of  Forts  Erie  and  George  by  the 
Americans,  the  victory  of  Perry  on 
Lake  Erie  and  the  success  of  General 
Harrison  about  Detroit  freed  the  west- 
ern part  of  New  York  from 
danger. 

The  border  of  the  State 
along  Lake  Ontarioandthe 
St.   Lawrence    s  u  ff  e  r  e  d 
much.      Sackett's  Harbor 
was   the  most    important 
point  and  the  centre   of 
supplies ;  here  the  herois.ni 
of  a  few  brave  defenders 
twice  held  the  place  against 
the  British  fleet.     Oswego 
and  Ogdensburg,  less  fortu- 
nate, were  sacked. 
In     return     our 
armies  captured 
York,  now  Toron- 
to,   gained    some 


134  TARTY    STRIFE   AND   NATIONAL  WAR.  [Period  IV 

successes  on  the  north  bank  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  but  did  not  get 
far  into  Canada. 

On  Lake  Ontario  the  English  ships  at  first  held  undisputed  sway  ; 
then  along  the  shore  the  Americans  rapidly  built  vessels ;  they 
dragged  the  iron  works  laboriously  overland  from  Albany ;  and 
soon  they  made  the  lake  the  scene  of  stirring  events  such  as  fill  the 
pages  of  romance. 

At  New  York  City. — From  these  inland  scenes  of  warfare,  New 
York  city  was  distant  a  long  journey  of  two  or  three  weeks.  Since 
the  war  of  1812  was  largely  a  naval  contest,  fought  out  on  different 
parts  of  the  Atlantic,  the  port  of  New  York  was  a  centre  of  supplies 
for  the  American  navy.  Hither  such  famous  ships  as  the  Consti- 
tution, WTasp,  and  Essex  returned  from  victories  which  shattered  the 
world-feared  navy  of  Great  Britain,  until  finally  the  English  fleet 
lay  off  Sandy  Hook  and  blockaded  the  harbor. 

When  the  news  of  the  capture  and  burning  of  Washington  was 
received,  New  York  city  expected  the  long  looked  for  attack.  The 
city  was  poorly  protected  ;  but  money  was  voted  for  fortifications  ; 
and  better  than  that  everybody  turned  out  to  throw  up  earth ; 
schools  took  a  holiday  ;  printers  omitted  a  paper,  in  order  that  all, 
men  and  boys,  might  help  on  the  work.  Soon  the  Narrows,  Brook- 
lyu,  Harlem  Heights  and  the  islands  in  the  river  bristled  with  forts, 
whose  strength  the  enemy  never  tested. 

On  Lake  Champlain. — Although  the  English  did  not  attack 
the  forts  at  the  mouth  of  the  Hudson,  they  did  not  overlook  the 
importance  of  the  Champlain  and  the  Hudson  valleys.  Foiirteen 
thousand  veterans,  trained  in  the  wars  with  Napoleon,  started  from 
Canada  over  the  route  made  famous  by  Burgoyne.  But  this  army 
never  reached  the  upper  waters  of  the  lake.  At  Plattsburgh  a  small 
army  of  Americans  stood  at  the  Saranac  river  to  oppose  the  land 
force  of  the  invaders.  On  the  lake  Commodore  Macdonough  (mak- 


Chap.'  XIII]  COMMON  SCHOOLS.  135 

don'-oh)  gathered  together  a  few  boats  to  meet  the  English  squadron 
rounding  Cumberland  head.  In  one  of  the  pluckiest  fights  of  that 
Avar  Macdonough  scattered  the  ships  of  the  English  ;  the  spirit  of 
victory  electrified  the  small  band  on  the  shore  ;  and  the  veterans  of 
Europe  fled  back  to  the  Canadian  lines. 

By  this  time  the  anti-war  party  in  M  ew  York  State  had  about 
disappeared  ;  but  all  were  glad  to  hear,  in  the  first  days  of  1815, 
that  peace  had  been  made  with  England.  The  treaty  did  not 
promise  that  for  which  the  war  had  been  fought ;  but  the  English 
navy  had  learned  to  fear  the  warships  of  America  ;  and  never  again 
were  the  merchant  vessels  sailing  from  New  -York  city  boarded  by 
English  officers  in  times  of  peace.  New  York  had  at  fearful  cost 
done  her  part  with  the  other  seventeen  States  in  upholding  our 
national  honor. 

Schools. — During  the  second  war  with  England  the  legislature 
created  the  office  of  superintendent  of  common  schools,  thus  giving 
the  slowly  forming  school  system  a  head.  Gideon  Hawley  was  the 
first  superintendent  of  schools  and  he  served  for  a  salary  of  three 
hundred  dollars. 

The  West  Point  military  academy  was  organized  by  the  United 
States  government  at  the  beginning  of  the  war.  This  famous 
school  grew  out  of  a  military  encampment  at  that  Revolutionary 
point,  and  provided  for  a  trained  and  educated  soldiery. 

A  fund  for  the  three  colleges  of  the  State,  Columbia,  Union  and 
Hamilton,  and  for  other  worthy  objects  was  raised  at  this  time  by 
the  unworthy  means  of  a  lottery,  a  scheme  of  money-getting  which 
people  were  just  beginning  to  criticise. 

It  was  during  the  war  of  1812  that  a  few  devout  men  and  women 
of  New  York  city  began  to  gather  children  in  churches  and  in 
private  houses  on  Sunday  to  teach  them.  Many  good  people  shook 
their  heads  at  this  idea  of  breaking  the  holy  day.  Such  people 


136  PAETY   STRIFE   AND   NATIONAL  WAR.  [Period  IV 

would  have  been  very  slow  to  believe  that  before  the  century  closed 
over  a  million*  people  would  be  attending  the  Sunday  schools  of 
the  State,  and  that  next  to  the  Christian  church  the  Sunday  school 
would  exert  the  greatest  power  for  good. 

*  The  figures  as  given  by  the  State  Sunday  School  Association.  June,  1890,  are.— teachers 
and  officers.  114.460:  children,  769,985;  adults,  iaj,8Si ;  total.  1,069,277;  number  of  schools. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


THE  ERIE  CAXAL.— 181G-1825. 

Clintonians  and  Bncktails. — For  a  number  of  years  after  the 
war  of  1812  political  parties  in  New  York  were  not  divided  on 
national  questions ;  the  contests  were  largely  for  the  offices.  De- 
Witt  Clinton  was  still  influential;  but  his  enemies  were  numerous  ; 
and  whereas  they  had  once  gathered  under  the  lead  of  Burr  and 
later  under  that  of  Livingston,  they  now  followed  Governor  Tomp- 
kins.  Tompkins  was  three  times  reflected  to  the  office  which  he 
first  received  in  1807,  and  meanwhile  had  become  the  bitter  politi- 
cal enemy  of  his  early  friend,  DeWitt  Clinton.  The  governor 
filled  his  office  with  credit  during  the  war  and  began  to  be  spoken 
of  for  the  presidency.  One  of  his  leading'  supporters  was  the  young 
and  ambitious  Martin  Van  Buren. 

Another  ally  of  the  governor  was  the  society  of  Tammany.  This 
organization,  which  took  the  name  of  a  celebrated  Indian  chief, 
was  begun  at  the  time  of  Washington's  inauguration  as  a  social 
club.  Later  on  it  became  a  political  society  and  often  controlled 
the  city  of  New  York,  the  government  of  the  State,  and  even 
national  affairs.  Tammany  was  always  arrayed  against  DeWitt 
Clinton,  and  in  1812  helped  to  defeat  him  for  the  presidency. 

Clinton's  faction  of  the  democratic  party  included  most  of  the 
old  federalists  and  they  were  known  as  the  Clintonians.  The  com- 
mon name  of  the  opposition  party  was  biicktails,  a  name  given  them 
after  some  of  the  Tammany  men  once  appeared  with  deer's  tails  in 

their  hats. 

C13?) 


138  THE  ERIE  CAXAL.  [Period  IV 

The  Elections  of  1816  and  1817.— Tompkins'  fourth  election 
as  governor  was  in  1816,  the  year  of  the  seventh  presidential  elec- 
tion. When  on  the  fourth  of  the  next  March,  Madison  should  finish 
his  second  term,  the  office  of  president  would  have  been  held  by 
Virginians  for  twenty-fovr  ;mt  of  the  twenty-eight  years.  The 
northern  people,  especially  those  of  New  York,  felt  that  they  had  a 
claim  on  the  presidency,  and  talked  about  the  "  Virginia  dynasty/* 
The  congressmen  of  the  southern  States,  however,  succeeded  in 
nominating  Monroe,  of  Virginia.  At  that  time  political  conven- 
tions for  nominating  party  candidates  were  unknown  and  such 
nominations  were  made  by  the  party's  congressmen  or  by  the  State 
legislators. 

Virginia  and  New  York  were  rival  States.  Virginia  had  led  in 
population  from  early  colonial  days  ;  but  since  1776  New  York  had 
passed  from  the  fifth  to  the  second  place  among  the  States  and  it 
was  probable  that  the  census  of  1820  would  show  that  it  had  left 
Virginia  behind. 

To  compromise  matters  the  office  of  vice-president  was  given  to 
Governor  Tompkins  ;  and  so  a  few  days  before  the  fourth  of  March, 
1817,  he  resigned  the  governorship  which  he  had  ably  held  for  ten 
years.  According  to  the  constitution  then,  the  lieutenant-governor 
did  not  fill  out  the  term  ;  but  a  new  election  was  held  at  which  De- 
Witt  Clinton  was  almost  unanimously  chosen. 

Abolition  of  Slavery. — One  of  the  last  acts  of  Governor  Tomp- 
kins' ten  years'  administration  was  his  most  illustrious  deed.  He 
advised  and  secured  the  passage  of  a  law  ordering  the  total  abolition 
of  slavery  in  New  York  on  and  after  independence  day  of  1827. 
The  gradual  emancipation  begun  under  Governor  John  Jay  had 
reduced  the  number  of  slaves  one-half ;  yet  ten  thousand  human 
beings  still  remained  in  servitude  within  the  State ;  but  the  dis- 
grace was  to  be  forever  wiped  out  ten  years  afterward  on  the  fourth 
of  July,  1827.  For  this  act  of  justice  the  State  is  also  largely 


Chap.  XIV]  THE   MAKERS   OF  THE   CANAL.  139 

indebted  to  the  society  of  friends,  or  Quakers  of  New  York  city, 
and  to  William  Jay  and  Peter  Jay,  sons  of  the  former  governor. 

The  Erie  Canal. — Independence  day  of  the  year  1817  is  also  a 
notable  time  in  the  history  of  the  State.  On  that  day  in  the  town 
of  Rome,  Oneida  county,  the  first  spadeful  of  earth  was  thrown 
up  in  the  digging  of  the  Erie  canal.  The  Erie  canal  has  a  history. 

Before  Hudson  discovered  the  bay,  the  Iroquois  had  seen  the 
advantages  of  New  York  for  internal  navigation.  The  great  lakes, 
Lake  Champlain,  and  the  many  little  lakes  stretching  north  and 
south,  with  the  St.  Lawrence,  Hudson,  Mohawk,  Genesee  and  Sus- 
quehanna  rivers  make  a  wonderful  collection  of  water  routes.  To 
the  Indians  the  great  harbor  was  nothing ;  to  the  first  white  men 
the  interior  water  ways  were  of  little  account.  Then  as  the  Indians 
left  the  centre  of  the  State  and  the  white  men  entered,  connection 
between  the  salt  and  fresh  waters  was  demanded. 

The  Makers  of  the  Canal. — Who  first  thought  of  a  canal  can- 
not be  told.  In  1724,  a  hundred  years  before  the  Erie  canal  was 
completed,  Cadwallader  Golden  foresaw  such  a  "  scene  of  inland 
navigation  as  cannot  be  paralleled  in  any  other  part  of  the  world.'* 
Various  suggestions,  for  the  most  part  to  deepen  and  to  widen  the 
rivers,  were  made  just  before  the  Revolution. 

Washington  was  interested  in  a  project  to  connect  the  Atlantic 
with  the  great  lakes ;  he  suggested  a  canal  from  Lake  Erie  to  the 
Potomac  river  and  Chesapeake  bay.  While  the  army  was  encamped 
at  Newburg,  he  ascended  the  Mohawk  with  George  Clinton  to 
determine  whether  inland  navigation  to  Lake  Ontario  were  possible. 

The  first  man  to  put  in  definite  shape  these  various  projects  was 
Gouverneur  Morris  ;  he  advised  what  yet  may  be  realized, — a  ship 
canal.  About  the  time  of  Washington's  administration  the  project 
of  a  canal  seemed  to  be  abandoned  for  a  plan  to  make  the  Mohawk 
river  navigable.  But  the  short  canals  around  Little  Falls,  at  Ger- 
man Flats  and  from  the  Mohawk  to  Wood  creek  were  costly  failures. 


140 


THE    EKIE    CANAL. 


[Period  IV 


The  project  still  lacked  a  man  to  put  life  in  it,  a  man  to  give  time 

and  energy,  to  argue  and  to  la- 
bor, to  persuade  legislators  and 
farmers,  to  risk  popularity  and 
scorn  fortune,  a  great  man  and 
one  ready  to  give  his  greatness  to 
the  success  of  a  life's  work.  Such 
a  man  was  DeTHtt  Clinton  ;  to 
him  New  York  owes  the  Erie 
canal.  As  member  of  the  legisla- 
ture and  as  mayor  of  New  York 
city  during  the  first  decade  of  the 
century  he  gave  the  best  of  his 
exertions  to  persuade  the  State  to 
undertake  the  work. 


DEWITT  CLINTON. 


The  First  Step.— In  1808  the 
route  of  the  canal  was  surveyed 
by  Joseph  Geddes,  who  dug  the  first  salt  well  in  Onondaga  county. 
To  the  joy  of  the  friends  of  a  canal  the  project  was  reported  practic- 
able. Two  years  later  the  legislature  appointed  a  committee  to  go 
over  the  route  and  reckon  the  cost ;  of  this  committee  Gouverneur 
Morris  and  DeWitt  Clinton  were  members,  and  Robert  11.  Living- 
ston and  Eobert  Fulton  were  afterward  added  ;  they  decided  against 
the  plan  of  a  canal  to  Lake  Ontario,  with  a  short  canal  around 
Niagara  Falls  ;  and  they  estimated  the  expense  of  the  route  direct 
to  Lake  Erie  at  five  million  dollars. 

As  the  canal  would  be  of  great  value  to  the  western  States,  the 
United  States  government  was  asked  to  bear  the  expense  ;  but  for- 
tunately congress  did  not  bring  the  canal  into  national  politics,  but 
left  it  to  New  York's  unaided  energy.  The  approaching  war  of 
1812,  while  it  put  a  stop  to  all  efforts  for  a  canal,  yet  made  its 


Chap.  XIV]  THE  SECOXD  COXSTITCTIOX.  141 

necessity  still  more  clear.     At  one  time  cannon  were  dragged  to 
Lake  Ontario  at  an  expense  equal  to  twice  their  original  cost. 

Opposition.— At  the  close  of  the  war  DeWitt  Clinton  and  others 
again  went  to  work  to  combat  the  inaction  of  the  legislature  and 
the  prejudice  of  the  people.  Objections  were  many.  It  was  a  wild 
scheme  ;  it  could  never  be  done  ;  it  would  bankrupt  the  State  ;  the 
southern  counties  would  pay  for  what  would  not  benefit  them. 

At  one  time  a  friend  of  the  canal  found  a  company  of  German 
farmers  along  the  very  route  who  opposed  the  attempt.  They  could 
not  understand  about  the  locks  ;  "  Water  cannot  run  up  hill,"  said 
they.  Finally  to  convince  them  the  man  dug  a  small  ditch,  made 
a  lock  of  shingles,  poured  in  a  pailful  of  water  and  locked  a  chip 
up  his  little  canal. 

In  1817  the  friends  of  the  measure  triumphed  over  all  obstacles, 
obtained  from  the  legislature  a  favorable  vote,  and  in  the  same  year 
began  the  work.  Two  years  of  well  directed  labor  completed  the 
canal  from  Rome  to  Utica.  There  were  still  many  who  were  deter- 
mined that  the  canal  should  go  no  farther  ;  and  they  carried  their 
opposition  to  the  polls  in  the  same  year,  1819,  when  Governor  Clin- 
ton's term  was  ended.  There  was  an  exciting  contest  for  governor ; 
Vice-President  Tompkins  threw  his  influence  against  the  canal  and 
accepted  a  nomination  in  opposition  to  DeWitt  Clinton.  There 
was  a  small  majority  for  Clinton  ;  but  this  majority  meant  that  the 
work  must  go  on  and  the  canal  be  finished. 

The  Second  Constitution. — Governor  Clinton  on  beginning, 
his  second  term  advised  the  legislature  to  call  a  convention  to  frame 
a  new  constitution.  The  first  State  constitution,  adopted  in  1777, 
had  carried  the  State  government  through  two  wars,  and  had  been 
the  fundamental  law  for  nearly  half  a  century ;  but  its  defects  were 
many  ;  and  the  need  of  something  better  was  strongly  felt.  The 
convention  was  called  and  included  among  its  members  Daniel  D. 


142  THE  EBIE  CA^AL.  [Period  IV 

Tompkins,  then  beginning  his  second  term  as  vice-president ;  Mar- 
tin Van  Buren,  who  had  just  reached  the  United  States  senate  in 
his  rising  career  ;  Rufus  King,  the  other  senator,  the  last  candidate 
of  the  federalist  party  for  the  presidency  ;  Chancellor  Kent  *  and 
Ambrose  Spencer  f  of  legal  fame  ;  and  Stephen  Van  Rensselaer  of 
the  ancient  family. 

This  convention  spent  two  and  a  half  months  of  the  year  1821  at 
their  work  ;  and  the  next  year  the  people  voted  to  adopt  the  pro- 
posed constitution.  This  constitution  as  afterward  amended  did 
away  with  the  property  qualification  of  voters  and  gave  the  right 
to  vote  to  all  men  except  criminals  and  lunatics,  except  also  negroes, 
who  had  to  own  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  worth  of  property  in 
order  to  vote. 

The  council  of  revision  was  abolished  and  the  veto  power  given  to 
the  governor ;  the  council  of  appointment  was  done  away  with  ;  and 
the  most  of  the  town  and  county  officers  before  appointed  were 
made  elective  by  the  people.  Circuit  courts  were  established  and 
the  State  divided  into  eight  judicial  districts.  The  assembly  was 
fixed  at  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  members  and  the  senate  at 
thirty-two  ;  at  which  number  they  have  since  remained.  At  that 
time,  however,  there  were  eight  senatorial  districts,  each  district 
sending  one  senator  each  year  for  a  term  of  four  years.  At  the 
same  time  the  term  of  the  governor  was  shortened  to  two  years  ; 
and  the  time  of  the  State  election  was  changed  from  April  to  the 
Tuesday  following  the  first  Monday  of  November.  Accordingly 
for  fifty  years  thereafter,  the  November  of  every  even  year  was  the 
time  of  the  election  of  governor,  and  on  the  first  of  the  succeeding 
January  the  governor  was  inaugurated. 

*. James  Kent,  author  of  Commentaries  on  American  Law.  was  a.  celebrated  jurist.  He 
became  chief  justice  of  New  York,  his  native  State,  in  1804,  and  a  few  years  later  was  ap- 
pointed chancellor. 

t  Ambrose  Spencer  was  born  in  Connecticut ;  he  was  made/chief  justice  of  Xew  York  in 
1810.  Although  a  brother-in-law  of  DeWitt  Clinton  he  was  for  a  long  time  a  political 
opponent. 


Chap.  XIV]  RULE   OF  THE   POLITICIANS.  143 

The  Rule  of  the  Politicians.— In  1822,  DeWitt  Clinton,  al- 
though he  was  still  foremost  in  the  building  of  the  Erie  canal,  was 
growing  more  unpopular  among  the  politicians  ;  so  he  decided  not 
to  be  a  candidate  for  reelection.  He  left  the  gubernatorial  chair 
to  Joseph  C.  Yates  of  Schenectady,  and  gave  his  time  to  the  com- 
pletion of  the  canal. 

The  politicians  were  supreme.  The  year  before,  they  removed 
from  office  Gideon  Hawley,  who  for  eight  years  had  been  the  able 
superintendent  of  common  schools.  They  put  in  his  place  a  young 
lawyer  of  so  little  ability,  that  to  cover  the  blunder  the  legislature 
did  away  with  the  office  and  put  the  common  schools  under  the 
secretary  of  state. 

While  this  was  the  "era  of  good  feeling"  of  Monroe's  adminis- 
tration and  the  democrats  were  the  only  national  party,  it  was  in 
New  York  State  a  time  of  bitter  personal  rivalry.  The  spoils 
system  was  there  brought  to  perfection  whence  it  was  soon  to  be 
carried  into  the  politics  of  the  nation.  This  controlling  clique  of 
politicians  was  known  as  the  "  Albany  Regency "  and  was  under 
the  lead  of  Martin  Van  Buren  and  William  L.  Marcy. 

In  opposition  to  the  arrogant  rule  of  this  political  faction  a  party 
was  growing  up  in  the  State  under  the  name  of  the  people's  party. 
The  leaders  of  this  movement  advocated  the  choosing  of  presiden- 
tial electors  by  a  vote  of  the  people  rather  than  by  the  legislature, 
and  the  nomination  of  party  candidates  by  a  convention  of  dele- 
gates rather  than  by  members  of  the  legislature.  This  party  in 
1824  called  the  first  State  nominating  convention  ever  held  in  New 
York  to  meet  at  Utica. 

Before  this  convention  met,  in  the  last  hours  of  the  session  of 
the  legislature,  the  enemies  of  DeWitt  Clinton  rushed  through  a 
bill  removing  him  from  his  office  of  canal  commissioner.  Thus,  as 
they  thought,  they  would  completely  drive  him  from  public  sight. 
The  people  were  amazed  at  the  spiteful  injustice  done  the  man 


144  THE  ERIE  CANAL.  [Period  IV 

who  had  served  as  president  of  the  canal  commission  faithfully  and 
without  pay ;  they  held  indignation  meetings  all  over  the  State. 
When  the  people's  party  met  at  the  Utica  convention,  they  took  up 
the  popular  cause,  nominated  Clinton  for  governor  and  triumph- 
antly elected  him. 

The  Canal  Finished. — This  election  was  a  fitting  event ;  De- 
Witt  Clinton,  in  whose  governorship  the  Erie  canal  was  begun, 
thus  came  back  into  the  high  office  in  time  to  take  charge  of  the 
completion  of  his  life's  work.  As  the  summer  of  1825  passed  away, 
"Clinton's  ditch,"  after  eight  years  of  building,  lacked  but  a  little 
of  reaching  from  Albany  to  Buffalo. 

The  first  cost  of  the  work  was  seven  million  dollars,  a  fraction  of 
the  money  expended  in  later  years  upon  an  unsatisfactory  State 
capitol.  A  few  years  after  its  completion,  the  canal  was  enlarged  ; 
and  this  improvement  together  with  mismanagement  and  stealing 
swelled  the  entire  cost  to  over  fifty  million  dollars  or  to  almost 
eight  times  the  original  expense.  The  entire  cost  of  the  Erie  canal 
has  been  more  than  repaid  to  the  State. 

The  canal  as  finally  enlarged  is  three  hundred  and  sixty-three 
miles  long  and  has  seventy-two  locks ;  its  width  is  seventy  feet, 
allowing  boats  of  nearly  twenty  feet  in  width.  Beginning  at  Albany 
it  follows  the  Hudson  to  Cohoes,  and  thence  part  of  the  way  to 
Schenectady  it  takes  the  north  bank  of  the  Mohawk  ;  then  it  fol- 
lows the  windings  of  the  Mohawk  on  its  southern  bank  to  Utica 
whence  the  long  summit  level  of  fifty  miles  reaches  to  Syracuse, 
leaving  meanwhile  the  Mohawk  at  Rome.  At  Syracuse  the  Oswego 
canal  connects  with  Lake  Ontario;  from  Syracuse  to  Rochester 
many  aqueducts  are  needed  to  take  the  canal  over  rivers  and 
the  Cayuga  marshes.  A  few  miles  after  crossing  the  Genesee,  the 
longest  level  of  the  canal  stretches  out  sixty-five  miles  to  Lockport ; 
where  by  five  locks  close  together  it  rises  to  the  thirty  mile  level 
which  extends  to  Buffalo  and  Lake  Erie. 


Chap.  XIV]  OPENING   OF  THE   CANAL. 

For  a  third  of  the  length  the  water  is  furnished  by  Lake  Erie, 
The  rest  of  the  water  comes  from  the  Black  river  canal,  Cazenovia 
lake  and  the  reservoirs  on  the  summit,  all  flowing  toward  Albany ; 
so  that  the  flow  of  the  canal,  except  for  a  short  distance,  is  from 
west  to  east. 

The  Celebration. — The  water  of  Lake  Erie  entered  the  great 
ditch  at  Buffalo  on  the  twenty-sixth  day  of  October,  1825.  A  vast 
crowd  of  jubilant  people  were  there  ;  there  were  flags,  cannon  and 
gaily  decked  boats ;  DeWitt  Clinton  was  there.  The  rushing  in 
of  the  water  was  telegraphed  to  New  York  city.  It  was  before 
Morse  invented  the  telegraph  ;  but  it  was  done.  Cannon  had  been 
placed  at  hearing  distances  along  the  towpath  and  the  bank  of  the 
Hudson  to  New  York  city.  It  was  an  hour  and  a  half  from  the 
time  that  the  first  cannon  sounded  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Erie  till 
the  last  gun  echoed  over  New  York  bay. 

From  Buffalo  a  flotilla  of  brightly  decorated  canal  boats  began 
the  first  trip  to  the  ocean.  The  "Seneca  Chief  "took  the  lead, 
carrying  Governor  Clinton  and  other  noted  men.  One  of  the  other 
boats'  was  "Noah's  Ark,"  with  a  cargo  of  eagles,  bears,  Indians 
and  similar  products  of  Ohio,  Indiana  and  other  States  of  the  wild 
west.  Everywhere  along  the  canal,  by  day  and  by  night,  people 
were  gathered  to  cheer  the  gay  procession.  Kochester  joyfully 
welcomed  the  fleet  at  the  great  stone  archway  which  carries  the 
water  over  the  Genesee.  Albany  was  ablaze ;  and  on  the  tenth  day 
of  the  trip  the  ringing  of  bells  and  the  noise  of  cannon  told  the 
people  of  New  York  city  that  the  steamboats  had  towed  the  fleet  to 
the  mouth  of  the  Hudson. 

From  the  ships  there  in  waiting  came  the  challenge  to  the 
"  Seneca  Chief":— "Where  are  you  from  and  what  is  your  destina- 
tion ?"  The  reply  came  back,  "  From  Lake  Erie  and  bound  for 
Sandy  Hook." 


146  THE  ERIE  CANAL.  [Period  IV 

A  great  number  of  crafts  of  all  kinds  then  made  out  to  sea,  where 
DeWitt  Clinton,  taking  up  a  keg  of  water  from  Lake  Erie,  poured 
it  into  the  ocean,  thus  indicating  the  uniting  of  the  great  lakes  with 
the  Atlantic  ocean.  Then  on  the  return  of  the  boats  to  New  York 
city  the  celebration  continued  ;  processions,  illuminations  and  fire- 
works formed  a  dazzling  spectacle,  worthy  of  doing  honor  to  the 
greatest  work  of  New  York  State. 

Thus  the  year  1825  marks  an  era  in  the  history  of  the  State.  It 
was  just  fifty  years  since  the  battle  of  Lexington  and  the  flight  of 
the  English  governor.  For  thirty-five  years  the  nation  had  been 
established  under  the  constitution.  The  fifteen  counties  into 
which  the  State  was  divided  when  Washington  was  inaugurated 
had  increased  to  fifty-six,  thus  mapping  out  the  State  about  as  it  was 
to  remain.  The  population  of  the  State  which  reached  the  first  mil- 
lion during  the  war  of  1812,  was  now  half  way  toward  another 
million.  The  census  of  1820  had  placed  the  State  first  in  wealth 
and  population.  The  building  of  the  Erie  canal  gave  New  York  a 
claim  to  be  called  then  and  thereafter  the  EMPIRE  STATE. 

SUMMARY   OF   EVENTS, — PERIOD   IV. 

1790.     The  Vermont  difficulty  settled. 

Congress  removed  from  New  York  city  to  Philadelphia. 
1795.     John  Jay  governor. 
1797.     Albany  made  the  permanent  capital. 
1801.     George  Clinton  again  governor. 

1804.  Morgan  Lewis  governor. 
Killing  of  Hamilton  by  Burr. 

1805.  The  beginning  of  the  school  fund. 
1807.     Daniel  D.  Tompkins  governor. 

First  trip  of  Fulton's  steamboat. 
The  embargo  laid. 


Chap.  XIV]  SUMMARY  OF  PERIOD  IV.  147 

1812.  Madison  elected  president  over  DeWitt  Clinton. 

War  with  England ;  attacks  on   Sackett's  Harbor  and 
Ogdensburg  repulsed. 

1813.  Ogdensburg  captured  by  the  English  ;  Sackett's  Harbor 

successfully  defended  ;  Buffalo  burned. 
Gideon  Hawley  superintendent  of  common  schools. 

1814.  Battle  of  Lake  Champlain ;  close  of  hostilities  in  New 

York. 

1816.  Money  voted  for  beginning  the  Erie  canal. 

1817.  DeWitt  Clinton  governor. 

Abolition  of  slavery  after  ten  years  decreed. 
The  Erie  canal  begun. 
1819.     Canal  navigation  opened  between  Rome  and  Utica. 

1821.  Meeting  of  the  constitutional  convention. 

1822.  Adoption  of  the  second  constitution  of  New 

1823.  Joseph.  C.  Yates  governor. 

The  Champlain  canal  completed. 
1825.     DeWitt  Clinton  again  governor. 
Opening  of  the  Erie  canal. 


IE3  E  IE  I O  3D  TT. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


PROSPERITY  AXD  DISASTER. — 1826-1846. 

The  twenty  years  following  the  completion  of  the  Erie  canal  was 
a  time  of  change.  The  last  of  the  men  of  the  Revolutionary  period 
died.  July  fourth,  1826,  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence,  its  writer,  Thomas  Jefferson,  and  its  bold 
advocate,  John  Adams,  both  passed  away ;  on  independence  day, 
four  years  later,  Monroe  died  in  the  city  of  New  York  ;  and  mean- 
while New  York's  Revolutionary  leader,  John  Jay,  expired  at  a 
great  age. 

It  was  a  time  of  rapidly  growing  towns,  of  the  making  of  huge 
fortunes,  of  railroads  begun  and  of  telegraphs  dreamed  of.  Before 
the  onward  rush  of  these  twenty  years  the  old  families  of  New  York 
city  and  the  Hudson  valley,  whose  power  had  partly  survived  the 
Revolution,  passed  completely  into  history ;  new  blood  flowed 
through  the  veins  of  the  awakened  State. 

DeWitt  Clinton  was  again  made  governor  in  the  year  after  the 
opening  of  the  Erie  canal.  He  had  new  projects  for  the  welfare  of 
the  State  ;  he  urged  the  legislature  to  improve  the  public  schools, 
to  establish  schools  to  train  teachers,  to  build  more  canals,  to  make 
a  State  highway  through  the  southern  counties.  Toward  the  close  of 
his  term  in  the  midst  of  his  patriotic  labors  he  suddenly  died.  After 

(148) 


Chap.  XV]  THE  ELECTIONS  OF  1812.  149 

a  usual  day's  work  at  the  capitol,  while  talking  with  his  family,  his 
head  dropped  forward  and  he  was  dead. 

New  York  has  given  greater  statesmen  to  the  nation,  but  has 
produced  no  greater  man  for  the  State.  His  public  life  excepting 
a  few  months'  service  in  the  United  States  senate  was  given  to  New 
York.  As  mayor  of  New  York  city,  as  canal  commissioner,  and  as 
governor  he  gained  a  national  fame.  He  made  the  Erie  canal ;  but 
he  was  not  a  man  of  one  idea  ;  he  was  the  foremost  champion  of 
the  common  schools  and  of  the  proper  treatment  of  criminals  and 
insane.  But  this  friend  of  mankind  was  cold  and  distant  to  men 
personally  ;  with  his  imperious  will  he  would  brook  no  opposition ; 
he  made  enemies  in  turn  of  such  former  friends  as  Robert  K.  Liv- 
ingston, Daniel  D.  Tompkins  and  Martin  Van  Buren.  But  the 
sturdy  honesty  of  his  purpose  is  undoubted ;  and  the  State  must 
honor  him  as  it  can  honor  no  other. 

The  Elections  Of  1828.— After  the  death  of  DeWitt  Clinton, 
Martin  Van  Buren  was  easily  the  leading  man  of  the  State  ;  in  the 
same  year,  1828,  he  was  elected  governor.  This  was  the  year  of  a 
presidential  election ;  and  Van  Buren  bent  all  his  energy  to  put 
General  Jackson  in  the  place  of  President  Adams. 

For  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the  State  the  presidential 
electors  were  chosen  by  the  people.  The  electors,  however,  at  this 
time  were  not  all  on  a  general  State  ticket  as  has  since  been  the 
practice  ;  but  each  congressional  district  chose  one  elector  and  the 
men  thus  elected  appointed  two  more  electors.  In  this  way  it  hap- 
pened that  sixteen  Adams  electors  were  chosen  and  twenty  Jackson 
electors. 

The  result  in  all  the  States  was  a  large  majority  for  the  hero  of 
New  Orleans.  President  Jackson  called  Van  Buren  to  be  secretary 
of  state  ;  and  thus  the  office  of  governor  fell  to  Enos  T.  Throop,  the 
lieutenant-governor.  Governor  Throop  after  filling  Van  Buren's 


150  PROSPERITY   AND    DISASTER.  [Period  V 

term  was,  in  1830,  elected  by  the  people  to  the  office,  after  a  close 
contest  with  a  new  party  known  as  the  anti-masons. 

The  Anti-Masons. — William  Morgan  of  Batavia,  Genesee 
county,  was  a  printer' and  belonged  to  the  society  of  free-masons. 
In  1826  it  became  known  in  the  town  that  he  was  about  to  publish 
a  book  telling  the  secrets  of  that  order.  Suddenly  he  disappeared  ; 
great  excitement  and  a  search  for  the  missing  man  followed.  It 
was  discovered  that  Morgan  was  arrested  on  a  made-up  charge  and 
put  in  the  Canandaigua  jail.  On  his  release  he  was  seized  by  a 
party  of  masons  and  carried  gagged  and  bound  in  a  close  carriage  to 
Fort  Niagara.  At  this  point  all  trace  of  the  man  was  lost ;  but 
there  is  little  doubt  that  he  was  put  to  death. 

As  this  story  came  out  exaggerated  by  wild  rumors,  there  was 
great  indignation  at  the  murder  of  a  free  man.  The  excited  citi- 
zens instead  of  bending  all  their  efforts  to  punish  the  few  men  who 
did  the  deed,  directed  much  of  their  feeling  against  the  entire 
masonic  order.  Many  of  the  masons  in  turn  unwisely  tried  to 
make  little  of  the  great  crime  instead  of  seeking  to  bring  the  crim- 
inals to  justice.  A  violent  opposition  to  the  masonic  fraternity 
sprang  up  in  western  New  York.  The  anti-masons,  unable  to  find 
the  murderers  of  Morgan  or  to  convict  those  who  carried  him  off, 
determined  to  punish  all  masons  at  the  ballot-box  ;  and  in  town  and 
county  elections  they  succeeded  in  keeping  masons  from  office.  The 
excitement  spread  ;  a  convention  was  called,  a  party  was  organized 
for  the  purpose  of  driving  the  masonic  order  from  the  State  ;  and 
a  State  ticket  was  nominated  which  was  barely  defeated. 

In  1830  the  anti-masonic  party  polled  one  hundred  and  twenty 
thousand  votes  and  lacked  but  eight  thousand  of  electing  their  can- 
didate for  governor ;  two  years  later  the  party  was  defeated  in  a 
similar  manner,  at  a  time  when  the  feeling  had  so  spread  that  a 
presidential  candidate  was  nominated.  But  the  infection  died  out 
of  politics  as  suddenly  as  it  arose. 


Chap.  XV]  RISE   OF   THE   WHIG   PARTY.  151 

Democrats  and  Whigs.— Little  affected  by  the  appearance  of 
masonry  in  politics  the  national  democratic  party  was  solid  and 
triumphant  under  the  leadership  of  Martin  Van  Buren ;  it  gave 
the  electors  of  New  York  to  Jackson  at  his  reelection  in  1832,  and 
at  the  same  time  elected  William  L.  Marcy  governor  of  the  State. 
Marcy  was  again  chosen  at  the  next  two  elections,  and  so  was  gov- 
ernor for  six  years. 

At  his  second  election  the  opponents  of  the  democratic  party 
first  united  under  the  name  of  whigs.  Up  to  this  time  there  had 
been  no  united  opposition  to  the  democrats  in  national  affairs. 
The  first  whig  candidate  for  governor  of  New  York  was  William  H. 
Seward  of  Auburn. 

Two  years  later  Martin  Van  Buren  reached  the  height  of  his  am- 
bition by  securing  the  presidency ;  he  was  therefore  the  first  man 
from  New  York  to  be  elected  president  of  the  United  States. 

Prosperity  and  Hard  Times.— Perhaps  the  success  of  Van 
Buren  in  political  life  was  partly  due  to  the  prosperity  of  the  times. 
There  was  rapid  progress  in  the  State  and  in  the  nation.  On  the 
banks  of  the  Erie  canal,  where  once  was  a  wilderness,  farms,  vil- 
lages and  cities  were  appearing.  Buffalo,  all  but  two  of  whose  two 
hundred  houses  had  been  burned  by  the  English  in  1813,  was  a  city; 
Rochester,  which  at  the  time  of  the  same  war  was  composed  of  one 
log  house,  had  fifteen  thousand  people  at  the  time  of  Van  Buren's 
election  to  the  presidency ;  Utica  was  a  newly  made  city  and  Syra- 
cuse was  a  promising  village.  Farmers  received  good  prices ; 
mechanics  were  busy  ;  speculators  doubled  their  money.  So  it  was 
throughout  the  union ;  people  began  to  live  beyond  their  means ; 
credit  was  easy ;  but  pay  day  came  at  last. 

The  panic  of  1837  brought  the  first  widespread  hard  times  since 
the  days  of  the  embargo.  New  York  city,  the  commercial  centre, 
first  felt  the  effect ;  banks  failed ;  factories  stopped ;  overgrown 


152  PROSPERITY  AND  DISASTER.  [Period  V 

towns  were  half  deserted.  Many  States  could  not  pay  their  debts ; 
New  York  had  not  credit  enough  to  borrow  a  half  million  dollars 
at  six  per  cent. 

The  people  blamed  the  party  in  power  and  the  next  year,  1838, 

PI  went  over  to  the  whigs  in  such 
<  'numbers  as  to  elect  William  H. 
Seward  governor.    President  Van 
.  j  Buren  lost  his  hold  on  Xew  York 
and  two  years  later  when  he  was  a 
candidate  for  reelection,  he  failed 
to  get  the  electors  of  his  own  State 
and    was    defeated    by    William 
.Henry  Harrison.      At  the  same 
time  Governor  Seward  was  given 
;  a  second  term.      It  was  at  this 
.election  of  1840  that  mass  meet- 
jings  and  parades  were  first  used 

i"  by  the  political  parties. 
The  Anti-Rent   Rebellion. 

MARTIN  VAN  BUREX.  — Meanwhile  trouble   within  the 

State  claimed  attention  ;  eastern  New  York  was  disturbed.  From 
the  time  of  the  Dutch  patroon  system  much  of  the  land  in  the 
eastern  counties  was  held  by  the  families  of  the  original  owners, 
who  did  not  sell  their  farms  but  leased  them  at  a  small  rent  for  a 
long  term  of  years.  In  time  the  improvements  made  the  farms 
yaluable,  and  the  forgotten  rents  were  demanded.  The  farmers  on 
the  leased  lands  were  threatened  with  ruin ;  they  banded  together 
to  resist  the  collection  of  rents,  drove  off  the  sheriffs,  and  at  Graf- 
ton,  Rensselaer  county,  killed  one  of  the  officers.  In  the  same  year, 
1839,  fifteen  hundred  anti-renters  gathered  at  Eeidsville  to  resist 
the  sheriff  and  his  men.  The  counties  of  Albany,  Rensselaer,  Col- 


Chap.  XV] 


THE   PATRIOT  WAR. 


153 


umbia,  Delaware,  Greene  and  Schoharie  were  partly  in  a  state  of 
rebellion  ;  western  counties  also,  where  the  Holland  land  company 
owned  large  tracts,  were  stirred  up  to  a  less  extent. 

Governor  Seward  called  out  the  militia,  and  secured  quiet.  Silas 
Wright,  who  succeeded  to  the  office  of  governor  after  William  C. 
Bouck's  uneventful  term,  took  hold  of  the  anti-rent  trouble  with  a 
firm  hand.  Many  of  the  law-breakers  were  brought  to  trial  and 
sent  to  prison. 

Still  there  was  some  justice  on  the  side  of  the  anti-renters  ;  they 

.had  the  sympathy  of  the  people 
land  uniting  with  the  whigs  in 
1846  they  defeated  Silas  Wright 
and  elected  John  Young  governor. 
Governor  Young  pardoned  the 
fifty  or  more  prisoners,  and  the 
]  State  constitution  adopted  the 
same  year  forbade  the  leasing  of 
land  for  long  terms,  and  in  other 
ways  provided  for  the  gradual 
cure  of  the  evil. 

The  Patriot  War.— The  coun- 
ties bordering  on  Canada  also  had 
their  excitement  during  these 
years.  Many  of  the  Canadians 
were  anxious  for  independence 

SZ.AS  WBIGHT.  from  England  and  naturally  re- 

ceived much  sympathy  from  their  neighbors  across  the  St.  Lawrence 
and  Niagara  rivers.  Nearly  a  thousand  zealous  men  of  New  York 
encamped  on  Navy  island  in  the  Niagara  river,  about  two  miles 
above  the  falls,  using  the  steamboat  "Caroline"  to  bring  their  pro- 
visions and  arms.  The  English  seized  this  vessel  from  its  moorings 
on  the  American  side  and  set  it  adrift  over  the  falls. 


154  PROSPERITY   AND   DISASTER.  [Period  V 

The  excitement  and  feeling  against  England  among  the  people 
of  the  border  counties  were  intense  ;  but  Van  Buren  who  was  presi- 
dent at  the  time  issued  a  proclamation  of  neutrality  and  sent  Gen- 
eral Scott  to  keep  the  peace.  Along  the  northern  State  line  from 
Rouse's  Point  to  Cape  Vincent  the  sons  of  Revolutionary  heroes 
were  prepared  at  any  time  to  cross  into  Canada  to  help  the  patriot 
cause  ;  they  stole  the  arms  from  the  arsenal  at  Watertown  ;  and  for 
five  or  six  years  they  made  ineffectual  raids  across  the  river. 

Highways  and  Railroads. — The  southern  tier  of  counties, 
though  somewhat  free  from  the  excitement  of  the  anti-mason,  anti- 
rent  and  patriot  war  troubles,  had  their  own  topic  of  interest.  It 
was  proposed  to  build  a  State  road,  a  macadamised  highway,  from 
the  Hudson  river  at  Catskill,  running  through  Ithaca  and  Bath  to 
Buffalo.  DeWitt  Clinton  had  urged  this  project  not  only  to  open 
up  these  counties,  but  as  due  them  from  the  State  in  turn  for  taxes 
paid  for  the  Erie  canal, — an  expense  which  had  largely  benefited 
the  central  counties.  The  legislature  defeated  the  bill  year  after 
year,  until  in  1836  to  compromise  matters  it  gave  three  million 
dollars  of  State  money  to  help  the  building  of  the  Erie  railroad. 

The  first  railroad  in  the  State  and  one  of  the  first  passenger  rail- 
roads in  the  United  States  was  constructed  of  wooden  rails  from 
Albany  to  Schenectady,  a  distance  of  seventeen  miles,  in  1831. 
Ten  years  later  the  Erie  railroad  was  opened  from  Piermont  to 
Goshen. 

Canals. — For  a  long  time  the  growth  of  the  railroads  was  not 
Buch  as  to  lead  people  to  think  that  they  would  take  the  place  of 
canals ;  and  so  the  State  continued  to  build  water  ways  branching 
north  and  south  from  the  Erie  canal.  The  Champlain  canal,  con- 
necting the  Hudson  and  Champlain  valleys,  was  in  operation  three 
years  before  the  completion  of  the  Erie  canal.  The  Oswego  canal 
and  the  Cayuga  and  Seneca  canal  were  next  constructed.  Then 


Chap.  XV]  STEW  YORK  CITY.  155 

the  State  grew  lavish  and  dug  the  Genesee  valley,  the  Chemung 
and  Black  river  canals,  at  great  cost,  only  to  abandon  them  in  later 
years  when  railroads  spread  their  net  work  over  the  State. 

At  first  these  canals  carried  passengers  as  well  as  freight ;  pas- 
senger boats  or  packets,  fitted  with  dining-rooms  and  sleeping 
berths  and  drawn  by  three  or  four  horses,  carried  travelers  at  the 
rate  of  five  miles  an  hour  ;  though  so  little  dependence  was  to  be 
put  on  these  boats  that  it  was  a  common  saying  that  canal  travel 
was  at  the  rate  of  "  a  cent  and  a  half  a  mile,  a  mile  and  a  half  an 
hour." 

The  carrying;  of  freight  was  always  the  great  business  of  the  canals. 
Before  the  Erie  canal  was  open  it  cost  from  fifty  to  one  hundred 
dollars  to  transport  a  ton  from  Buffalo  to  Albany.  The  first  boats 
cut  this  charge  down  to  less  than  twenty  dollars.  In  1835  the  rate 
fell  to  about  five  dollars  ;  and  when  in  1882  the  State  abolished  the 
tolls  and  railroads  were  competing  for  the  freight,  grain  was  carried 
the  length  of  the  -Erie  canal  for  a  dollar  a  ton. 

New  York  City. — During  the  twenty  years  following  1825  the 
State  increased  over  a  million  in  population,  and  by  1850  had  three 
million  inhabitants.  Of  these,  half  a  million  were  in  New  York 
city  ;  for  great  as  had  been  the  development  of  the  interior,  still 
more  wonderful  was  the  progress  of  the  city.  With  magical 
rapidity  the  great  blocks  of  brick  and  stone  reached  northward  over 
Manhattan  island.  In  1845  the  limit  of  continuous  buildings 
reached  Fourteenth  street,  where  forty  years  later  was  the  centre  of 
the  retail  trade.  In  the  lower  part  of  the  city,  room  was  made  by 
building  upward;  blocks  of  three  or  four  stories  were  replaced  by 
those  of  six  and  eight  floors ;  and  these  in  turn  gave  way  to  twelve' 
and  fourteen  story  buildings. 

Generally  throughout  the  city  the  old  stood  aside  for'  the  new. 
For  lighting,  whale  oil  began  to  give  place  to  gas  in  1825,  much  to 


156  PROSPERITY    AND    DISASTER.  [Period  V 

the  fear  of  timid  ones  who  were  afraid  that  the  island  would  be 
blown  up.  Eight  years  later  the  horse  cars  first  took  the  place  of 
the  lumbering  stages.  But  the  gas  and  horse  cars  were  in  turn  to 
become  old-fashioned  in  the  dawning  age  of  electricity.  There  was 
even  then  a  certain  artist  in  the  city  who  was  busy  experimenting 
with  electricity  and  coiling  long  strips  of  wire  about  his  room. 
His  name  was  Samuel  F.  B.  Morse,  and  by  -1844.  he  had  made  the 
magnetic  telegraph  a  success.* 

The  news  whether  flashed  by  electricity  or  brought  by  slower 
means  was  nowhere  put  in  more  readable  shape  than  in  New  York 
city.  It  was  in  the  'thirties  and  'forties  that  the  press  of  the 
metropolis  took  its  place  in  the  lead  of  the  newspapers  of  America. 
William  Cullen  Bryant  was  editor  of  the  Evening  Post ;  Horace 
Greeley,  after  publishing  the  Log  Cabin  in  the  Harrison  campaign 
of  1840,  began  the  Tribune  next  year  ;  James  Gordon  Bennett  was 
filling  the  Herald  with  news ;  the  brilliant  Henry  J.  Raymond 
some  years  later  started  the  Times ;  Thurlow  Weed,  whig  and 
anti-mason,  was  publishing  the  Albany  Evening  Journal.  The 
common  price  of  a  paper  was  six  cents,  when  the  Sun,  the  first  of 
the  one-cent  papers,  was  started  in  1833  and  soon  reached  the 
unheard  of  circulation  of  six  thousand  a  day.  The  magazine  and 
book  publishers  began  to  gather  at  New  York  city  and  in  time  made 
it  the  literary  centre  of  the  continent. 

The  city  was  attracting  keen  men  in  every  line  of  business. 
John  Jacob  Astor,  in  his  day  the  richest  man  in  America,  was  mak- 
ing money  out  of  the  Alaska  fur  trade  ;  Peter  Cooper  was  getting 
rich  from  the  manufacture  of  glue  ;  and  Alexander  T.  Stewart  was 
the  first  great  merchant  prince,  imitated  later  by  so  many  thous- 
and of  his  countrymen.  Wall  street  and  Broadway  became  the 
goal  of  every  ambitious  young  man  in  the  country. 

*  In  this  connection  it  should  be  remembered  that  Cyrus  W.  Field,  to  whose  energy  and 
foresight  the  Atlantic  cable  is  due,  was  a  New  Yorker.  In  1854  he  was  working  at  the  idea; 
in  1858  he  had  laid  a  cable  ;  in  1866  he  made  the  submarine  telegraph  a  sucoess. 


Cliap.  XV]  THE   CROTON   AQUEDUCT.  157 

The  city  also  attracted  the  ignorant  and. brutal ;  it  took  a  part, 
often  the  worst  part,  of  every  ship-load  of  foreigners.  As  the  rush 
of  immigrants  increased,  the  city  was  in  constant  danger  from  its 
ignorant  mass  of  humanity.  Riots  were  common ;  mobs  held  the 
streets.  Anti-slavery  meetings  were  broken  up  by  rioters  ;  during 
the  panic,  stores  were  entered  for  food  and  clothing ;  and  at  the 
great  Astor  Place  riot  in  1856  it  needed  but  the  petty  quarrel  of 
some  actors  to  stir  the  slums  of  the  city  to  such  bloody  deeds  that 
only  volleys  of  musketry  from  the  soldiers  could  scatter  the  mob. 
The  police  at  these  times  were  nearly  powerless  ;  neither  was  it  the 
perfection  of  the  police  system  which  changed  the  riotous  Xew 
York  city  of  before  the  war  to  the  more  orderly  place  of  later  years. 
Free  public  schools,  Sunday  schools,  missions,  asylums,  hospitals, 
free  baths  and  public  parks  have  done  what  the  law  could  not 
accomplish. 

There  were  other  checks  to  the  progress  of  the  city  beside  its 
riotous  inhabitants.  During  one  summer  the  cholera  took  pos- 
session of  the  city,  threw  the  people  into  a  panic  and  carried  off 
three  thousand  victims.  Soon  after  on  a  cold  December  night 
thirteen  acres  of  buildings  were  burned.  Both  disasters  were  laid 
to  the  poor  and  insufficient  supply  of  water,  and  hastened  the 
building  of  the  Croton  aqueduct. 

The  lack  of  water  had  long  been  felt.  The  water  from  street 
wells  and  that  distributed  by  a  private  company  was  unsatisfactory. 
Forty  miles  north  in  Westchester  county  is  the  Croton  river.  In 
1835  the  work  of  bringing  this  river  into  the  homes  and  shops  of 
New  York  city  began.  A  lake  was  made  by  means  of  a  great  dam. 
From  this  reservoir  the  water  was  received  by  a  granite  aqueduct 
of  circular  shape  about  eight  feet  wide  and  seven  feet  high. 

Through  hills  and  over  streams  this  huge  pipe  was  built,  until 
finally  crossing  the  Harlem  river  by  High  bridge  it  reached  the  dis- 
tributing reservoir  covering  one  hundred  and  five  acres  in  Central 


. 

158  PROSPERITY   AND   DISASTER.  [Period  V 

park.  Seven  years  after  the  beginning  of  this  work,  on  the  fourth 
of  July,  the  water  was  let  into  the  aqueduct,  and  the  event  duly  cele- 
brated. The  Croton  aqueduct  cost  nine  million  dollars  ;  but  vast 
as  was  the  scale  on  which  it  was  built,  within  fifty  years  it  could 
not  supply  the  multiplied  population.* 

A  companion  work  of  the  Croton  aqueduct  in  purifying  New 
York  city  was  the  Central  park,  which  may  be  noticed  here,  though 
it  was  begun  several  years  later.  It  was  just  before  the  civil  war 
that  the  city  bought  the  land,  two  and  a  half  miles  long  and  half  a 
mile  wide,  out"  of  which  the  famous  park  was  made  at  an  expense 
of  fifteen  million  dollars  ;  as  much  money  as  the  United  States  paid 
France  for  half  the  land  west  of  the  Mississippi. 

A  few  years  before  Central  park  was  begun,  the  city  held  a 
world's  fair  in  a  great  building  called  the  Crystal  palace.  This 
immense  house  of  glass  contained  a  display  which  educated  the 
people  and  helped  the  trade  and  commerce  of  the  city  and  country. 
The  shipping  traffic  of  that  port  had  so  increased  that  two-thirds 
of  the  foreign  trade  of  the  United  States  was  carried  on  at  New 
York  city. 

The  city  as  the  gateway  from  the  Atlantic  was  at  various  times 
called  upon  to  welcome  distinguished  men  to  the  shores  of  America. 
Its  citizens  did  honor  in  1825  to  Lafayette  on  his  visit  to  the  scenes 
of  his  early  struggles ;  later  they  welcomed  Dickens  and  Thackeray 
the  novelists,  Jenny  Lind,  the  singer,  Kossuth  the  Hungarian 
patriot ;  and  most  royally  of  all  they  feasted  a  citizen  of  their  own 
State,  the  greatest  American  man  of  letters,  Washington  Irving,  on 
his  return  from  the  court  of  Spain. 

*The  first  Croton  aqueduct  supplied  95.000,000  gallons  in  twenty -four  hours,  or  about 
two  hundred  gallons  for  every  man,  woman  and  child  in  the  city.  When  the  population 
increased  to  over  a  million  the  water  fell  short.  An  aqueduct  to  the  Bronx  river  in  1884  in- 
creased the  amount  of  water  to  115.000.000  gallons  daily.  The  second  Croton  aqueduct  was 
begun  in  1885  and  finished  in  1890.  It  is  built  under  ground,  passing  by  a  tunnel  under  the 
Harlem  river.  This  aqueduct  increases  the  supply  to  315.000.000  gallons.  "  Compared  with 
other  tunnels,  this  new  aqueduct  is  easily  at  the  head  of  ail  works  of  a  like  character  in  the 
world."  See  the  Century  magazine  for  December,  1889,  (Vol.  39). 


CHAPTER  XVI. 
THE  CONTEST  FOR  FREE  SCHOOLS. — 1847-1854. 

At  the  close  of  the  first  half  of  the  nineteenth  century  New  York 
held  the  first  place  among  the  thirty-one  States  in  population, 
agriculture,  manufacture  and  commerce ;  but  in  education  the  State 
did  not  excel.  The  history  of  education  in  New  York  up  to  that 
time  was  in  short  this  : — The  Dutch  did  something  for  their  schools ; 
the  English  did  less.  At  the  close  of  the  Revolution  there  was  an 
awakening  demand  for  better  schools.  In  1795  the  first  State 
appropriation  for  common  schools  was  made  ;  and  ten  years  later  a 
permanent  fund  was  established.  The  school  system,  however, 
dates  from  1813,  when  the  office  of  superintendent  of  schools  was 
created, — an  office  which  after  a  few  years  became  a  department 
under  the  secretary  of  state. 

DeWitt  Clinton  was  a  champion  of  the  school  system ;  he  filled 
his  messages  to  the  legislature  with  pleas  for  normal  schools,  free 
schools,  county  superintendents  and  school  libraries. 

The  Schools  from  1825  to  1846.— In  1825  there  were  eight 
thousand  common  schools  and  nearly  half  a  million  pupils.  Ten 
years  afterward  eight  academies  were  chosen  to  instruct  teachers' 
classes,— the  first  effort  to  provide  properly  qualified  instructors. 
Another  experiment,  of  which  much  was  expected,  was  buying  and 
distributing  libraries  to  the  school  districts.  Although  many  of  the 
books  thus  sent  out  were  scattered  and  lost,  their  good  effect  prob- 
ably more  than  repaid  the  outlay. 

Of  the  different  secretaries  of  state,  John  A.  Dix  was  especially 
active  in  advancing  the  interests  of  common  schools,  and  his  deputy, 

(159) 


160  THE   CONTEST   FOR   FREE   SCHOOLS.  [Period  V 

Samuel  S.  Eandall,  was  a  faithful  friend  of  education.  In  1841 
the  office  of  county  superintendent  of  schools  was  created.  These 
superintendents  were  chosen  by  the  county  boards  of  supervisors ; 
and  this  method  of  election  gave  a  chance  for  political  trickery. 
To  remedy  this  defect  the  office  was  abolished  after  a  short  trial ; 
and  for  ten  years  longer  there  was  no  school  officer  between  the 
deputy  of  the  state  superintendent  and  the  district  trustees.  In 
1S56  the  office  of  county  superintendent  was  revived  under  the 
form  of  school  commissioners  elected  by  the  people  of  the  commis- 
sioner districts. 

The  pressing  demand  for  trained  teachers  called  forth  the  plan 
of  holding  teachers'  institutes  in  the  different  counties  of  the  State, 
and  resulted  in  the  establishing  of  a  permanent  school  for  teachers, 
the  Albany  Normal  school.  * 

But  the  State  remained  without  free  schools.  The  separate 
districts  could  make  their  own  schools  free  if  they  wished  and  some 
of  the  districts  did  so ;  but  the  State  had  no  free  school  system 
compact  and  progressive.  The  common  schools  were  in  part  sup- 
ported by  the  fund  growing  out  "of  the  sale  of  public  lands;  but 
the  rest  of  the  expense  was  paid  by  tuition  in  the  shape  of  rate  bills. 
These  rate  bills  called  upon  those  who  sent  children  to  pay  accord- 
ing to  the  number  of  days  they  had  been  in  attendance. 

The  Third  State  Constitution. — The  advocates  of  free  schools 
hoped  to  carry  their  point  in  the  convention  which  met  in  1846  to 
revise  the  constitution.  The  third  constitution,  which  took  the 
place  of  the  second  after  it  had  been  in  effect  for  twenty-five  years, 
made  but  little  change  in  the  executive  State  officers  ;  it  provided 
that  senators  be  elected  by  separate  districts  ;  it  remodeled  the 
courts,  formed  the  court  of  appeals  and  provided  that  many  judges 
before  appointed  should  be  elected  by  the  people  ;  it  forbade  long 

*  The  name  of  the  Albany  Normal  school,  the  first  of  the  normal  schools  of  the  State, 
was  changed  in  1890  to  the  New  York  State  Normal  College. 


Chap.  XVI]        FREE   SCHOOLS    SECURED   AND   LOST.  161 

leases  of  land,  the  banking  monopoly,*  and  incurring  of  debts  by  the 

legislature. 

A  provision  for  free  schools  was  included  ;  but  on  the  last  day  of 
the  session  of  the  convention  it  was  thrown  out ;  and  so  when  the 
people  voted  to  accept  the  proposed  constitution  they  had  no  chance 
to  show  their  opinion  on  the  great  question  of  free  schools. 

Free  Schools  Secured  and  Lost.— But  the  demand  of  the 
times  was  not  to  be  denied ;  the  legislature  of  1849  passed  a  bill 
making  all  the  common  schools  of  the  State  free.  The  law  declared 
that  each  district  should  have  suitable  buildings,  and  conduct  a  school 
for  at  least  four  months  of  the  year,  open  to  all  residents  between 
the  ages  of  five  and  twenty-one.  Such  a  law  was  in  the  power  of 
the  legislature;  but  in  order  to  test  the  opinion  of  the  people  it  Avas 
submitted  to  a  vote  of  the  State  and  ratified  by  a  tremendous, 
majority. 

The  free-school  act  was  put  in  force  so  awkwardly  that  the  unusual 
taxes  fell  unequally  upon  the  people  of  the  State.  Those  who  were 
satisfied  kept  still ;  the  dissatisfied  made  loud  complaints.  So  after 
a  year's  trial  but  a  small  majority  of  the  people  stood  by  the  law  ; 
and  the  legislature  at  its  next  session  weakened  before  the  petitions 
of  the  growling  taxpayers,  repealed  the  bill,  and  brought  back  the 
system  of  rate  bills. 

Thus  the  lawmakers  of  the  State  continued  to  accept  as  good 
reasoning  the  argument  of  the  childless  taxpayer  that  he  ought  not 
to  educate  his  neighbors'  children,  and  failed  to  recognize  the  fact 
that  educated  voters  alone  make  a  good  State,  and  that  every  man 

*  Up  to  the  time  of  the  panic  of  1837  every  bank  had  to  have  a  charter  from  the  legisla- 
ture and  the  banking  business  became  a  monopoly  in  the  hands  of  a  favored  few.  In  the 
time  of  Hamilton's  power  the  federalists  controlled  all  the  banks  of  the  State.  Aaron  Burr, 
under  the  guise  of  a  bill  to  supply  New  York  city  with  fresh  water,  secured  a  charter  for 
the  Manhattan  bank,  an  institution  still  existing.  The  fortunes  of  DeWitt  Clinton  suffered 
from  the  connection  of  his  friends  with  a  paying  bank  monopoly.  In  1800  there  were  two 
banks  in  New  York  city ;  the  number  was  increased  to  thirty  in  1840,  and  reached  one  hun- 
dred in  1880. 


162 


CONTEST   FOH   FREE    SCHOOLS. 


[Period  V 


who  enjoys  the  benefits  of  the  republic  is  in  duty  bound  to  pay  for 
the  education  of  all  its  citizens.  In  these  days  the  slavery  question 
was  crowding  out  every  other  subject  of  importance  ;  and  the  State 
was  doomed  to  wait  for  its  free  schools  until  after  the  civil  war.  A 
step  in  advance  was  taken  in  1854,  however,  when  the  department 
of  education  was  set  off  by  itself  under  a  superintendent  of  public 
instruction  elected  by  the  legislature  for  a  term  of  three  years,  and 
Victor  M.  Eice  was  made  the  first  superintendent. 

Governors. — Many  of  the  successors  of  DeWitt  Clinton  in  the 
governor's  chair  were  active  school  men.  Governor  Wright  said  in 
a  message  :  "  No  public  fund  of  the  State  is  so  unpretending,  yet 
so  all  pervading ;  so  little  seen  yet  so  universally  felt ....  as  this 
fund  for  the  support  of  the  common  schools." 

SCHOOL  SUPERVISION  IN  NEW  YORK.  The    governors    of    New    York, 

(From  an  Addressof  Hon.  Andrews. Draper.)  af  tef   Seward>8    administration  of 


By 

By 

By 

By      four  years,  were  changed  each  term 

Year 

State 

county 

city 

town    for    eight    successive   elections. 

officer. 

officers. 

officers. 

officers.  William  C.  Bouck,  Silas  Wright, 

John    Younff,     Hamilton    Fish. 

1795. 

Washington  Hunt,  Horatio  Sey- 

mour, Myron  H.  Clark,  and  John 

1813. 

A.  King  filled  the  office  from  1843 

1841. 

to  1859.     Silas  Wright*  was  one 

of  the  ablest  of  these  men;  Hora- 

1847. 

tio  Seymour  was  for  many  years 

1851 

prominent  in  public  life;  and  My- 

1856. 

ron  H.  Clark  is  to  be  remembered 

for  receiving  his  election  on  a  plat- 

1890. 

form  favoring  prohibition  of  the 

*  Silas  Wright,  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  filled  many  important  offices  in  New  York, 
and  acquired  a  national  reputation  in  the  United  States  senate.  He  refused  a  nomination 
as  candidate  for  the  vice-presidency  and  a  position  in  Folk's  cabinet,  and  died  in  retirement 
at  Canton,  1847.  See  portrait,  page  153. 


Chap.  XVI]  PROGRESS   OF  THE   PEOPLE.  163 

liquor  traffic.     The  sale  of  liquor  was  in  1855  accordingly  forbidden; 
but  the  law  was  not  enforced  and  was  soon  repealed. 

Many  of  these  governors  also  served  in  the  United  States  senate. 
Marcy,  Wright,  Seward  and  Pish  were  in  the  national  senate  before 
the  war,  and  Daniel  S.  Dickinson,  not  a  governor,  was  a  dis- 
tinguished senator  at  that  time. 

The  Progress  of  the  People  of  the  State  is  suggested  by  the 
close  of  the  first  half  of  the  nineteenth  century.  The  western 
counties,  which  in  1800  were  the  great  west  of  the  immigrants  from 
New  England,  later  sent  their  own  citizens  to  fill  the  caravans 
crossing  the  Mississippi.  The  stream  from  New  York  swelled  to  a 
torrent  in  1849  when  gold  was  discovered  in  California.  But  the 
population  of  New  York  continued  to  increase ;  the  one  million  of 
1800  had  become  four  million  in  1850.  Chemung,  Fulton  and 
Wyoming  counties  were  organized  after  1825  and  "little  Schuyler," 
in  1854  made  the  number  of  counties  an  even  sixty. 

The  progress  of  invention  has  been  so  great  that  the  people  of 
the  latter  half  of  the  century  know  almost  as  little  of  the  daily  life 
of  those  Avho  lived  in  the  'twenties  and  'thirties  as  of  those  who 
lived  in  the  Revolution.  The  sons  do  not  realize  that  in  the  boy- 
hood of  their  fathers  matches  were  not  known,  that  thirty  or  forty 
miles  was  a  day's  journey,  that  it  cost  eighteen  cents  to  send  a  let- 
ter from  one  end  of  the  State  to  the  other,  that  often  the  result  of 
an  election  was  not  known  until  a  month  after  the  voting,  that 
watches  were  hardly  known  except  among  the  rich,  that  the  school 
houses  and  the  school  books  were  of  the  rudest  kinds. 

There  were  indications  of  an  improvement  in  the  morals  of  the 
people.  Lotteries  were  forbidden  ;  imprisonment  for  debt  was 
abolished ;  suitable  State  prisons  at  Sing  Sing  and  Auburn  were 
provided  ;  prisoners  were  not  only  punished  but  taught  how  to 
work  ;  asylums  for  the  insane,  blind,  dumb  and  helpless  increased, 


164  CONTEST   FOR   FREE    SCHOOLS.  [Period  V 

some  built  by  State  aid,  some  by  religious  societies.  The  Christian 
church  was  an  increasing  power.  Many  revivals  of  religion  awakened 
deep  feeling  throughout  the  State  during  the  fifty  years  of  the 
century.  Many  of  the  successors  of  Everardus  Bogardus  the  first 
minister  of  New  York,  have  been  famous  preachers,  among  them 
Henry  "Ward  Beecher,  of  Brooklyn,  and  E.  H.  Chapin  of  Xew  York 
city. 

Peculiar  People. — The  State  seemed  to  have  more  than  its 
share  of  people  with  strange  religious  and  social  beliefs.  At 
Watervliet  (wa-ter-vleet),  near  Albany,  the  first  communities  of 
"  Shakers  "  in  the  United  States  under  Mother  Ann  Lee  settled, 
and  from  thence  they  sent  colonies  to  Columbia  and  Livingston 
counties.  At  Palmyra,  Wayne  county,  Joseph  Smith  lived,  who 
pretended  to  find  buried  there  the  book  of  Mormon  ;  and  from  that 
place  his  followers  began  their  westward  march,  which  ended  at 
Salt  Lake  city. 

In  Yates  county,  on  the  shores  of  Seneca  and  Keuka  lakes, 
Jemima  Wilkinson,  the  "  Universal  Friend/'  lived  in  the  first  frame 
house  in  western  New  York,  and  gathered  her  followers  about  her. 
In  Low  Hampton,  Washington  county,  lived  the  farmer-preacher, 
William  Miller,  who  taught  the  speedy  coming  of  the  end  of  the 
world,  and  in  1843  he  and  fifty  thousand  converts  waited  expec- 
tantly for  the  second  coming  of  Christ.  In  Madison  county,  John 
H.  Xoyes  established  in  1847  the  Oneida  community,  for  a  time 
peculiar  in  some  of  its  practices,  but  now  a  mere  business  association. 

At  North  Elba,  in  Essex  connty,  lived  John  Brown  before  the 
border  warfare  in  Kansas  and  the  raid  on  Harper's  Ferry  :  and 
there  in  the  soil  of  Xew  York  his  body  lies  mouldering  in  the  g^rave 
while  his  soul  goes  marching  on. 


CHAPTEE  XVII. 


NEW  YORK  DURING  THE  STRUGGLE  WITH  SLAVERY.— 1855-18G9. 

From  1821  to  1854.— About  the  time  that  slavery  was  abolished 
in  New  York,  it  became  the  leading  political  topic  in  national 
politics.  New  York  protested  against  the  admission  of  Missouri  as 
a  slave  State  in  1821 ;  but  while  the  people  of  New  York  generally 
expressed  themselves  against  the  admission  of  more  slave  territory, 
those  who  advocated  the  removal  of  slavery  from  the  country  were 
few  and  despised.  In  1835  six  hundred  delegates  to  an  anti-slavery 
convention  at  Utica  were  driven  out  of  town. 

The  increasing  friction  between  the  free  and  slave  States  was 
shown  five  years  later,  when  the  governor  of  Virginia  demanded  of 
William  H.  Seward,  governor  of  New  York,  three  men  charged 
with  stealing  a  negro  from  slavery.  Governor  Seward  refused  on 
the  ground  that  slave  stealing  was  not  a  crime  in  New  York.  Some 
years  later  eight  slaves  owned  in  Virginia  were  set  at  liberty  in  New 
York  city  and  escaped  to  Canada. 

The  sentiment  of  the  people  of  New  York  was  against  the  admis- 
sion of  Texas  and  against  the  resulting  Mexican  war  waged  in  1846 
and  1847  in  the  interest  of  the  extension  of  slavery  territory.  The 
State  also  opposed  the  compromise  of  1850  when  the  fugitive  slave 
law  was  passed,  compelling  free  States  to  arrest  and  return  escaped 
negroes.  This  law  brought  on  the  contest;  States  could  not  be 
joined  under  one  flag,  while  slavery  was  allowed  by  some  common- 
wealths and  was  a  crime  in  others. 

Slavery  in  Politics. — By  this  time  questions  of  State  interest, 
which  since  1815  had  taken  the  attention  of  political  parties,  gave 

(165) 


166 


THE  STRUGGLE  WITH  SLAVERY. 


[Period  V 


way  to  the  great  national  slavery  agitation.  The  whig  party, 
not  daring  to  take  sides,  died  out ;  the  republican  party,  opposed 
to  the  extension  of  slavery,  was  born.  The  first  presidential 
candidate  of  that  party,  John  C.  Fremont,  received  the  electoral 
votes  of  New  York,  but  was  defeated  by  the  democratic  nominee, 
James  Buchanan. 

At  the  same  election  John  A.  King,  a  republican,  was  chosen 
governor;  he  after  one  term  gave  way  to  Edwin  D.  Morgan  of  the 
same  party,  who  afterward  earned  the  title  of  the  war  governor  of 
New  York.  The  different  State  elections  in  the  year  of  Morgan's 
first  election,  1858,  foretold  the  triumph  of  the  new  party  in  the 
coming  national  election  of  1860. 

In  the  exciting  canvass  of  that  year  William  II.  Seward  was  the 

-most  prominent  man  of  his  party 
'and  was  supported  by  the  dele- 
gates from  his  State  at  the  repub- 
lican national  convention.     Sew- 
ard, however,  was  set  aside,  large- 
ily  through  the  efforts  of  Horace 
j  G-reeley,  editor  of  the  New  York 
Tribune,   and  Abraham   Lincoln 
j  of  Illinois  was  nominated  for  pres- 
ident.    The  admirers  of  the  great 
anti-slavery   statesman    of    New 
York  were  keenly  disappointed  ; 
but  they  heartily  helped  to  elect 
Lincoln  and  viewed  with  pride 
.the  illustrious  services  of  William 
H.  Seward  as  secretary  of  state 
during  the  perilous  civil  war. 

New  York  Responds  to  the  Call. — The  election  of  Abraham 
Lincoln  was  the  signal  for  the  long  threatened  rebellion  of  the 


Chap.  XVII]         NEW   YORK   RESPONDS  TO  THE   CALL.  167 

south  ;  South  Carolina  led  off.  The  New  York  legislature  prompt- 
ly offered  the  national  govenment  money  and  men  to  aid  in  forcing 
South  Carolina  to  remain  in  the  union.  But  this  was  in  the  first 
weeks  of  1861 ;  Buchanan  was  still  president  and  made  no  effort 
to  put  down  the  rising  rebellion. 

In  New  York  city  and  throughout  the  State  there  were  long 
petitions  and  large  mass  meetings  calling  for  peace  at  any  price ; 
and  there  were  other  petitions  and  mass  meetings  demanding  the 
preservation  of  the  union  at  all  hazards.  It  was  plain  that  New 
York  city,  through  which  passed  two-thirds  of  the  revenue  of  the 
United  States,  would  suffer  most  from  war  ;  to  the  citizens  of  that 
city  peace  meant  plenty,  war  threatened  bankruptcy. 

The  ignorant  masses  of  the  poorer  streets  could  be  relied  upon  to 
favor  slavery  ;  the  mayor  himself  had  the  effrontery  to  propose  that 
the  metropolis  secede  from  the  State  and  nation  and  become  a 
free  city.  Thus  the  southern  States  came  to  look  to  New  York  for 
help  as  the  English  had  done  a  hundred  years  before. 

In  this  the  slave  power  was  disappointed.  When  Sumter  fell  the 
loyal  city  and  State  awoke.  When  Lincoln  shortly  after  his  inaugur- 
ation called  for  seventy-five  thousand  soldiers,  New  York,  whose 
share  was  thirteen  thousand,  sent  thirty  thousand  troops.  On  the 
nineteenth  of  April,  the  anniversary  of  the  battle  of  Lexington, 
the  famous  seventh  regiment  marched  down  Broadway  to  the  cheers 
of  loyal  thousands. 

Soon  in  that  eventful  first  year  of  civil  strife  the  news  of  the 
defeat  at  Bull  Kun  came;  then  the  State  seemed  of  one  mind; 
thousands  poured  into  the  recruiting  stations  at  New  York  city  and 
Elmira;  old  men  and  boys  concealed  their  ages  that  they  might 
enlist ;  town  and  State  authorities  added  to  the  pay  given  by  the 
government ;  the  mothers  and  sisters  gathered  in  bands  and  socie- 
ties to  make  the  comforts  of  home  for  the  field  and  hospital ;  the 


168  THE  STRUGGLE  WITH  SLAVERY.  [Period  V 

State  loaned  and  gave  money  to  the  national  government  by  the 
million  ;  the  stars  and  stripes  suddenly  blossomed  out  from  house- 
top, window  and  pole.  By  the  end  of  the  year  18G1  New  York  had 
.sent  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  men  into  the  field,  one  out 
of  every  six  of  the  able-bodied  men  of  the  State.  At  the  close  of 
the  campaign  of  1862  there  were  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
of  her  men  on  the  field  scattered  over  nine  different  States  of  the 
.south. 

Reverses. — But  a  reaction  set  in.  In  the  great  plenty  of  sup- 
plies there  were  waste,  stealing  and  mismanagement.  The  demo- 
cratic party  criticised  the  way  in  which  the  war  was  carried  on, 
and  in  the  fall  of  1862  they  elected  as  governor,  Horatio  Seymour, 
who  ten  years  before  had  held  the  same  office.  Governor  Seymour, 
while  he  believed  that  the  war  could  be  ended,  was  loyal  to  the 
preservation  of  the  union. 

The  result  of  the  second  year  of  the  war  was  not  reassuring  to  the 
north.  Some  progress  was  made  in  the  Mississippi  valley  ;  but 
McClellan  in  the  peninsular  campaign  failed  to  take  Richmond  and 
•exposed  Washington  to  danger. 

The  gloom  deepened  as  1863  began.  The  defeats  of  the  northern 
army  at  Fredericksburg  and  Chaucellorsville  left  the  north  open  to 
the  victorious  army  of  Lee.  The  anti-war  party  of  New  York  grew 
strong ;  recruits  were  no  longer  plentiful ;  and  when  a  draft  was 
ordered,  angry  mutterings  filled  the  air.  New  York  city  was  the 
centre  of  the  disturbance.  There  on  the  fourth  of  July  the  oppo- 
nents of  the  war  held  a  mass  meeting.  They  denounced  the  presi- 
dent and  the  generals  ;  they  declared  the  war  a  failure.  On  that 
day  Vicksburg  surrendered,  the  Mississippi  was  opened  to  the  gun- 
boats of  the  north,  and  Lee  was  hurrying  south  from  his  defeat  at 
Gettysburg. 

The  Draft  Riot  Of  1863.— A  few  days  later  the  draft  began  in 
New  York  city,  and  all  the  pent-up  wrath  of  the  southern  sympa- 


Chap.   XVII]  THE   DRAFT   RIOT.  169 

thizers  broke  forth.  The  mob  swept  over  the  city  like  fire,  burning, 
plundering  and  murdering.  The  negroes  were  the  especial  victims ; 
many  of  them  were  killed ;  an  orphan  asylum  for  negroes  was 
burned.  For  three  days  the  rioters  held  the  city  ;  traffic  stopped  ; 
stores  were  closed ;  houses  were  barricaded  ;  the  police  were  power- 
less, and  no  soldiers  were  at  hand. 

When  at  length  order  was  restored,  one  thousand  persons  had 
been  killed  and  wounded  and  two  million  dollars  worth  of  property 
destroyed.  The  draft  was  then  resumed  under  the  protection  of 
troops.  The  next  year  a  band  of  men  was  discovered  preparing 
to  set  fire  to  the  principal  hotels  and  public  buildings  of  the  city ; 
this  was  probably  part  of  a  plot  to  burn  and  plunder  the  large 
cities  of  the  north. 

The  End  and  the  Result. — The  victories  of  1864  promised 
peace ;  but  a  battle  at  the  ballot-boxes  remained  to  be  fought  in 
New  York  and  in  other  loyal  States.  The  republican  party  was 
victorious ;  Lincoln  received  the  votes  of  nearly  all  the  northern 
States  ;  and  Reuben  E.  Fenton  was  elected  governor  of  New  York. 

"When  the  war  closed  in  the  spring  of  1865,  New  York  had  fur- 
nished to  the  union  within  a  few  thousand  of  one  half-million 
soldiers,  or  about  one-fifth  of  the  number  of  men  who  entered  the 
federal  army.  By  the  end  of  that  year  nearly  all  the  surviving 
soldiers  were  again  at  work  on  their  farms,  in  the  shops  and  the 
stores. 

But  the  terrible  loss  of  war  was  everywhere  felt.  The  death  of 
Lincoln,  the  broken  families,  the  bitter  feeling  arising  from  party 
strife  were  all  a  part  of  the  price  paid  for  the  union.  The  census 
of  1865  showed,  for  the  first  time  in  any  five  years  in  the  history  of 
the  State,  a  decrease  in  the  population,  amounting  to  fifty  thousand 
people. 

The  fifteenth  amendment  to  the  constitution  of  the  United 
States  gave  to  the  negro  the  right  to  vote,  and  thus  embodied  the 


170 


THE  STRUGGLE  WITH  SLAVERY. 


[Period  V 


result  of  the  war  ;  it  was  ratified  by  the  legislature  of  New  York  in 
1869.  The  State  had  never  removed  the  property  qualification  of 
two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  imposed  upon  the  negroes  in  1822. 
At  different  times  before  the  war  the  people  voted  down  the  propo- 
sition to  repeal  this  law,  and  even  after  the  war  they  again  decided 
against  the  repeal,  so  that  the  negro  in  New  York  gained  his 
equal  rights  by  the  constitution  of  the  general  government  and  not 
by  the  act  of  the  citizens  of  the  State. 

In  the  presidential  election  of  18G8  another  distinguished  citizen 

of  New  York,  Horatio  Seymour,  was 
the  candidate  of  the  democratic  party, 
and  though  defeated  by  General  Grant 
he  received  the  electoral  vote  of  his  own 
State, — an  acknowledgment  of  his  long 
and  faithful  public  services.  At  the 
same  time  John  T.  Hoffman  was  chos- 
en governor  to  succeed  Reuben  E.  Fen- 
t  ton  who  was  filling  his  second  term. 

Education. — The  year  1867  marks 

HORATIO  SETMOUK.  the  throwing  open  of  all  the  common 

schools  of  the  State  ;  thus  did  New  York  tardily  make  its  public 
schools  free.  The  Albany  normal  school,  and  the  Oswego  normal 
school,  which  was  begun  in  war  times,  were  made  free,  and  six 
other  normal  schools  were  soon  after  organized. 

Cornell  university  was  founded  at  the  same  time  largely  by  State 
aid.  This  school,  though  one  of  the  youngest  colleges  of  the  State, 
was  destined  soon  to  outstrip  the  older  schools  in  number  of  stu- 
dents and  in  wealth. 


The  regents  of  the  university  adopted  a  plan  of  examinations  to 
be  held  in  the  higher  schools  of  the  State,  and  have  since  dis- 


Chap.  XVII]  EDUCATION.  171 

tributed  the  money  in  their  charge  according  to  the  number  of 
pupils  in  each  institution  who  have  passed  them  successfully.  The 
result  has  been  an  increase  in  the  number  of  schools  between  the 
district  schools  and  colleges  until  nearly  every  village  of  the  State 
has  its  academy  or  academic  department  of  a  union  school. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


THE  EKA  OF  CENTENNIALS.— 1870-1889. 

The  twenty-five  years  following  the  civil  war  include  the  end  of 
the  first  one  hundred  years  of  the  life  of  the  State.  The  true  his- 
tory of  this  period  cannot  be  told  in  the  nineteenth  century. 

Parties  and  Elections. — In  political  matters  the  State  has 
been  a  pendulum,  now  swinging  to  the  democratic  and  now  to  the 
republican  side.  The  majority  at  each  vote  for  president  has  alter- 
nated from  one  party  to  the  other  since  1864.  The  legislatures 
have  for  the  most  part  been  republican ;  the  governor  during  six- 
teen years  of  the  time  has  been  a  democrat. 

Governor  Hoffman  was  reflected  in  1870  ;  but  two  years  later  the 
republicans  made  John  A.  Dix  governor.  General  Dix  held  im- 
portant State  offices  before  the  war  and  as  secretary  of  the  treasury 
under  Buchanan  sent  to  New  Orleans  the  famous  dispatch, — "If 
any  man  dares  to  haul  down  the  American  flag,  shoot  him  on 
the  spot."  Large  as  was  his  majority  for  governor,  the  vote  was  as 
decidedly  the  other  way  two  years  later,  when  he  was  defeated  by 
Samuel  J.  Tilden. 

In  the  centennial  year  when  Tilden  was  a  candidate  for  presi- 
dent, Lucius  Robinson,  also  of  the  democratic  party,  was  elected 
governor.  At  this  time  the  term  of  office  was  again  made  three 
years.  At  the  end  of  Robinson's  administration  a  division  in  the 
democratic  party  gave  the  office  to  Alonzo  B.  Cornell,  the  repub- 
lican candidate.  But  when  the  next  election  came,  in  1882,  a 
greater  division  in  the  republican  party  gave  Grover  Cleveland  a 

(172) 


Chap.  XVIII]  PARTIES   AND   ELECTIONS.  173 

majority  of  nearly  two  hundred  thousand,  the  largest  ever  given  a 
governor  of  the  State.  This  office  proved  to  Cleveland  the  step- 
ping-stone to  the  presidency,  and  David  B.  Hill,  the  lieutenant- 
governor,  served  the  last  year  of  Cleveland's  term  and  twice  after 
was  elected  to  the  same  position. 

At  every  presidential  election  during  the  quarter-century  follow- 
ing the  wai  at  least  one  of  the  candidates  of  the  two  leading  parties 
for  president  or  vice-president  has  been  from  New  York  ;  at  five  of 
the  six  elections  the  candidate  of  the  democratic  party  for  president 
has  been  from  New  York  ;  and  the  three  republican  vice-presidents 
elected  since  Grant's  administration  were  from  this  State. 

In  1872  Horace  Greeley  was  defeated  by  General  Grant,  and  died 
a  few  days  later.  At  the  election  of  1876  Tilden,  fresh  from  his 
triumphs  over  the  Tweed  ring  and  the  canal  ring,  was  declared  by 
an  electoral  commission  to  be  defeated. 

William  A.  Wheeler,  of  New  York,  was  vice-president  under 
Hayes;  he  was  succeeded  as  presiding  officer  of  the  senate  by  Chester 
A.  Arthur,  of  the  same  State.  In  the  senate  the  two  most  notable 
representatives  of  New  York  after  the  war  were  Eoscoe  Conkling 
and  William  M.  Evarts.  By  the  assassination  of  Garfield,  Arthur 
became  president ;  and  he  was  succeeded  on  the  fourth  of  March, 
1885,  by  Grover  Cleveland,  the  fourth  president  and  second  elected 
to  that  office  from  New  York. 

During  these  twenty-five  years  the  greenback  party  and  various 
labor  parties  drew  off  many  voters  from  the  democrats  and  republi- 
cans for  short  periods.  The  prohibition  party  also  controlled  a 
small  but  increasing  band  of  voters  and  kept  the  temperance  ques- 
tion prominent  in  politics. 

The  Tweed  Ring.— The  State  after  the  war  became  more  than 
ever  the  centre  of  the  political  strife  of  the  nation.  Fraud,  corrup- 
tion and  waste  of  the  people's  money  were  attending  evils.  In  1871 
the  country  was  astounded  by  the  exposure  of  the  Tweed  frauds. 


174  THE  ERA   OF  CENTENNIALS.  [Period  V 

William  H.  Tweed  secured  control  of  the  government  of  New  York 
city.  With  the  help  of  the  mayor  of  the  city  and  other  shrewd 
officials  he  obtained  large  sums  for  work  never  done  and  in  a  short 
time  plundered  the  city  of  about  twenty  million  dollars. 

By  chance  the  evidence  of  his  guilt  was  thrown  in  the  way  of  the 
New  York  Times.  Exposure  followed.  But  the  Tweed  ring  held 
all  the  offices,  controlled  the  courts  and  defied  conviction.  The 
press  of  the  city  stirred  up  the  people ;  the  wrath  of  a  deceived 
people  crushed  the  ring. 

Tweed  was  arrested ;  he  escaped  from  jail  and  was  afterward 
caught  in  Spain.  He  died  in  prison  in  April,  1878,  within  ten 
years  after  he  had  dictated  the  laws  and  elections  of  the  city  and 
State. 

Following  the  disclosure  of  the  Tweed  frauds  came  the  panic  of 
1873,  the  third  time  of  financial  distress  and  ruin  within  the  century. 
As  before,  the  business  of  New  York  city  first  felt  the  shock. 

New  York  City. — The  growth  of  the  metropolis  was  hardly 
checked  ;  the  population  was  one  and  a  quarter  million  in  1880  and 
still  continued  to  increase  rapidly  toward  the  second  million. 

The  stages  and  horse  cars  became  utterly  unable  to  carry  the 
people  back  and  forth,  and  the  elevated  railroads  were  opened  in 
1878  after  much  opposition.  These  fast  trains  gave  new  life  to  the 
upper  part  of  the  city,  and  yet  within  a  dozen  years  they  could  not 
comfortably  carry  the  increasing  throngs  and  satisfy  the  demand  for 
rapid  transit.  The  stream  of  business  men  crossing  East  river  to 
lower  Manhattan  island  also  had  to  be  provided  for,  and  the  Brook- 
lyn bridge,  the  largest  suspension  bridge  in  the  World,  was  begun  in 
1870  and  finished  thirteen  years  later. 

Scarcely  less  imposing  than  this  bridge  to  the  traveler  entering 
the  bay  is  the  statue  of  Liberty,  the  gift  of  France,  which,  torch  in 
hand,  was  set  in  1886  to  light  the  harbor  of  New  York. 


Chap.  XVIII]         LESSONS  FKOM  THE  CENSUS.  175 

Wonders  of  Art  and  of  Nature.— Up  the  river  at  Poughkeep- 
sie  another  great  bridge  was  stretched  across  the  Hudson,  over 
which  the  coal  of  Pennsylvania  goes  to  feed  the  fires  of  New  Eng- 
land. At  Albany  the  corner-stone  of  one  of  the  most  costly  build- 
ings in  the  world,  the  State  capitol,  was  laid  in  1871.  The 
immense  pile  consumed  twenty  million  dollars  and  still  unfinished 
was  occupied  by  the  offices  of  the  State  government.  Its  wasteful 
elegance  tells  the  story  of  many  disgraceful  deeds. 

New  York  did  a  notable  act  when  it  freed  its  great  natural  won- 
der, the  Niagara  Falls,  from  the  money-getters  surrounding  it,  and 
made  a  public  park  of  the  land  on  the  eastern  side.  In  a  like  spirit 
of  improvement  the  legislature  went  tardily  to  Work  to  make  a 
State  park  in  the  Adirondacks,  to  preserve  the  forests  and  to  con- 
trol the  sources  of  the  Hudson. 

As  the  State  grew  older  the  beauty  of  its  scenery  was  appreciated 
and  increasing  streams  of  sight-seers  viewed  the  Palisades,  the  falls 
of  the  Genesee  at  Portage,  the  West  Canada  creek  at  Trenton  falls, 
the  Thousand  Islands,  the  many  inland  lakes,  the  Catskills,  the 
Adirondacks,  the  Watkins  Glen. 

The  summer  resorts  of  the  State  have  become  famous ;  the  sea 
beaches  of  Long  Island  are  filled ;  the  summer  schools  and  meetings 
at  Chautauqua  are  thronged  ;  mineral  waters  are  sought  at  Clifton 
and  at  Richfield  ;  and  about  the  springs  to  which  the  Indians  car- 
ried Sir  William  Johnson,  the  village  of  Saratoga  Springs  with  its 
thirteen  thousand  people  has  sprung  up. 

Lessons  from  the  Census.— The  census  of  1880,  taken  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  second  century  of  the  State,  supplies  figures  to  esti- 
mate its  progress  among  the  commonwealths  of  the  union.  For 
sixty  years  the  State  had  held  the  first  place  in  population  and  had 
then  five  million  inhabitants.  While  New  York  in  extent  of  terri- 
tory was  not  quite  one-sixtieth  of  the  United  States,  it  had  oner 
tenth  of  the  population,  one-half  of  whom  lived  in  the  twenty-five 


176  THE   ERA   OF   CENTENNIALS.  [Period  V 

cities.*     There  were  then  but  about  twelve  nations  of  the  world 
with  a  population  greater  than  that  of  New  York. 

More  than  two-thirds  of  the  foreign  traffic  of  the  nation  enters 
the  harbor  of  the  State,  while  in  shipping  and  ship-owning  New 
York  represents  from  one-fourth  to  one-third  of  the  total  values  of 
the  United  States.  Its  harbors,  its  bordering  lakes,  its  large  rivers, 
and  its  canals  costing  up  to  1880  a  round  hundred  million  dollars, 
give  to  the  State  the  rank  which  the  same  territory  had  among  the 
Indians,  and  promise  the  primacy  of  New  York  among  the  States 
during  the  twentieth  century. 

Another  well  developed  resource  of  the  State  is  its  fertile  soil. 
In  1880  one-half  of  the  land  was  under  cultivation.  The  products 
were  as  varied  as  they  were  vast.  In  grain  it  ranked  among  the 
first  States  ;  it  raised  one-seventh  of  the  hay  and  one-fifth  of  the 
potatoes  of  the  United  States.  Its  hop  area,  centering  in  Madison 
and  Oneida  counties,  produced  four-fifths  of  the  nation's  crop. 
The  vine-covered  banks  of  the  Hudson  and  of  the  central  lakes 
yielded  a  considerable  grape  crop  ;  while  its  orchards  and  gardens 
from  the  flats  of  the  Genesee  to  the  Hudson  valley  produced  no  less 
abundance  of  other  fruits. 

In  butter  and  cheese  making  the  State  was  far  in  advance  of  any 
other  ;  in  fact  so  diversified  has  become  the  product  of  the  soil  that 
the  failure  of  one  crop  can  have  but  little  effect  upon  the  produc- 
tions of  the  entire  State. 

Another  source  of  wealth  is  manufacturing  ;  in  this  New  York 
again  leads  the  union  ;  it  had  invested  in  1880  from  one-sixth  to 
one-fifth  of  all  the  money  employed  in  manufacturing  in  the 
United  States.  The  manufactures  are  as  varied  as  the  crops.  In 
agricultural  implements,  in  ready-made  clothing,  in  foundry  pro- 
ducts, furniture,  pianos,  jewelry,  books,  soap,  refined  sugar,  and  in 


*  The  number  of  cities  in  1890  was  thirty-two. 


Chap.  XVIII]  SCHOOLS.  17r 

a  long  list  of  other  articles  the  State  makes  from  one-sixth  to  more 
than  a  half  of  the  entire  national  product. 

These  industries  are  not  confined  to  New  York  city,  but  are 
spread  over  the  State  ;  in  Onondaga  county  salt  is  produced  by  the 
government ;  in  Fulton  county  gloves  and  mittens  are  made ;  in  ' 
Rensselaer,  shirts  and  furnishing  goods  for  men  ;  paper  in  Saratoga 
and  Jefferson  counties  ;  farming  implements  in  Cayuga ;  beer  in 
Kings  ;  cotton  and  woolen  goods  in  Albany  and  Oneida  ;  leather  m 
Cattaraugus ;  butter  and  cheese  in  many  counties,  led  by  Oneida, 
Herkimer,  St.  Lawrence,  Delaware  and  Cattaraugus. 

Schools. — New  York  has  done  much  in  later  years  to  make  its 
system  of  education  a  model ;  though  it  was  slow  to  feel  the  need 
of  free  schools,  progress  since  the  free  school  act  has  been  rapid. 
The  three  colleges  of  the  first  years  of  the  century  had  increased  to 
twenty -seven  in  1880,  three  of  which  were  exclusively  for  women. 
The  eight  academies  of  1800  had  become  nearly  three  hundred  in 
number  under  the  care  of  the  regents  of  the  university,  including 
high  schools  and  academic  departments  of  union  schools. 

But  the  hope  and  glory  of  the  State  must  rest  in  its  common 
schools ;  beyond  these  the  mass  of  the  people  never  go.  In  1880 
there  were  eleven  thousand  school  districts  ;  and  ten  years  later  the 
expenditure  for  common  schools  was  nearly  twenty  million  dollars. 
The  normal  schools  for  the  training  of  teachers  were  increasing  and 
in  1890  had  reached  the  number  of  eleven. 

The  money  given  in  these  years  to  educational  purposes  may  have 
been  sometimes  unwisely  distributed ;  but  compared  with  other 
public  outlays  the  school  money  has  been  well  expended  and  has  pro- 
duced good  results.  A  uniform  system  of  examining  and  licensing 
teachers  has  been  secured  by  Superintendent  Andrew  S.  Draper,  and 
has  proved  helpful  to  the  cause  of  good  schools;  an  unenforced 
compulsory  education  law  has  been  passed, — a  promise  of  a  more 
efficient  act  to  come. 


178  THE   ERA   OF   CEXTEXXIALS.  [Period  V 

At  the  End  of  a  Century. — The  people  of  New  York  have 
also  advanced  in  a  knowledge  of  the  history  of  their  State ;  books 
and  magazines  devoted  to  this  branch  of  history  have  appeared,  and 
there  has  been  a  growing  appreciation  of  the  great  part  which  the 
colony  and  State  played  in  the  progress  of  America. 

A  patriotic  love  for  the  scenes  of  Eevolutionary  events  and  the 
memory  of  the  early  heroes  have  been  fostered  by  centennial  cele- 
brations. The  State  was  represented  at  the  world's  fair  at  Phila- 
delphia in  1876,  which  commemorated  the  close  of  the  first  hundred 
years  of  independence.  Other  celebrations  marked  the  centennial 
anniversaries  of  the  struggle  at  Oriskany,  at  Saratoga,  at  Elmira  and 
at  Cherry  Valley. 

And  finally  at  New  York  city,  where  Washington  became  presi- 
dent, the  greatest  celebration  of  all,  April  30,  1889,  did  honor  to 
the  centennary  of  the  birth  of  the  constitution, — that  strong  bond 
of  union,  to  make  which  New  York  gave  up  more  than  any  other 
State,  and  from  which  it  gained  that  advancement  which  makes  it 
indeed  the  EMPIRE  STATE. 

SUMMARY   OF   EVEKTS, — PERIOD   V. 

1826.     Abduction  of  Morgan. 

1828.  Death  of  DeWitt  Clinton. 

1829.  Martin  Van  Buren  governorA 
Enos  T.  Throop  governor.^ 

1831.  First  railroad  in  the  State  from  Albany  to  Schenectady. 

1832.  Great  cholera  year  in  New  York  city. 

1833.  William  L.  Marcy  governor. 

1836.  Martin  Van  Buren  elected  president. 

1837.  Financial  panic.  "V" 
Outbreak  of  the  Patriot  war. 

1839.     William  H.  Seward  governor. 
Anti-rent  trouble. 


Chap.    XVIII]  SUMMARY    OF   PERIOD   V.  179 

1841.  Erie  railroad  open  to  Goshen. 

1842.  Croton  aqueduct  completed. 

1843.  William  C.  Bouck  governor. 
1845.  Silas  "Wright  governor.         \' 

Third  State  constitution  adopted. 

John  Young  governor. 

Hamilton  Fish  governor. 

Free  school  law  passed  ;  (repealed.  1851). 
1851.     Washington  Hunt  governor. 
1853.     Horatio  Seymour  governor. 
1855.     Myron  H.  Clark  governor. 

Prohibition  law  passed. 
1857.     John  A.  King  governor. 
1859.     Edwin  D.  Morgan  governor. 

1861.  Beginning  of  the  civil  war;  120,000  troops  sent  by  New 

York. 

1862.  The  enlarged  Erie  canal  completed. 

1863.  Horatio  Seymour  again  governor. 
Draft  riots  in  New  York  city. 

1865.     Reuben  E.  Fenton  governor. 

End  of  the  civil  war. 

1867.     The  common  schools  of  the  State  made  free. 
1869.     John  T.  Hoffman  governor. 

Fifteenth  amendment  to  the  constitution  of  the  United 

States  ratified  by  New  York. 
1871.     The  corner  stone  of  the  capitol  at  Albany  laid. 

Exposure  of  the  Tweed  frauds. 
1873.     John  A.  Dix  governor. 


180  THE  ERA   OF  CENTENNIALS.  [Period  V 

1875.  Samuel  J.  Tilden  governor. 

1877.  Lucius  Robinson  governor. 

1880.  Alonzo  B.  Cornell  governor. 

1883.  Grover  Cleveland  governor. 
Brooklyn  bridge  completed. 

1884.  Grover  Cleveland  elected  president. 

1885.  David  B.  Hill  governor. 

A  State  park  made  at  Niagara  Falls. 

1886.  Statue  of  liberty  erected  on  Bedloe  island. 

1888.  Great  snow  storm  in  New  York  city. 

1889.  Centennial  celebration  of  Washington's  inauguration. 
1892.  Roswell  P.  Flower  governor. 


APPENDIX. 


QUESTIONS. 


(The  following  questions  on  the  text  of  this  volume  have  been  prepared  for  those  teach. 
ers  and  pupils  who  may  wish  to  make  use  of  them.) 


CHAPTER  I. 

1.  "Who  is  called  the  discoverer  of  New  York? 

2.  Has  any  one  else  a  claim  to  this  title? 

3.  Name  the  five  tribes  of  the  Iroquois. ' 

4.  In  what  ways  were  they  superior  to  other  Indians? 

5.  Why  had  they  chosen  New  York  for  their  home? 

6.  What  Indian  tribes  occupied  the  northern  and  eastern  parts? 

7.  Of  what  foreign  power  did  they  implore  aid  and  for  what  purpose? 

8.  Describe  Champlain's  expedition  in  1609. 

9.  What  was  the  result  of  his  victory? 

10.  Name  and  give  the  extent  of  the  five  periods  in  the  history  of  New  York 
State. 


PERIOD     I. 


CHAPTER  II. 

1.  Give  the  date  of  Hudson's  discovery  of  New  York  bay. 

2.  Of  what  nationality  was  he  and  in  whose  service? 

3.  To  what  country  was  he  bound?  What  did  he  think  the  Hudson  river 
might  be? 

4.  About  how  far  up  the  river  did  he  sail? 

5.  Describe  his  death. 

(181) 


182  HISTORY    OF  THE    EMPIRE   STATE. 

6.  What  two  European  nations  besides  the  Spanish  had  colonies  in  America? 

7.  "Where  were  these  and  in  what  condition? 

8.  What  year  is  given  as  the  date  of  the  settlement  of  New  York? 

9.  What  was  the  object  of  the  Dutch  who  first  came  to  New  York? 

10.  Why  were  Cape  May  and  Block  Island  so  called? 

11.  What  are  the  modern  names  of  the  South,  the  Fresh,  and  the  North 
rivers? 

12.  What  name  did  the  Dutch  give  their  possessions  in  America? 

13.  How  much  land  did  they  claim  and  how  did  they  afterward  modify  this 
claim? 

14.  Who  were  the  first  Europeans  to  make  New  Netherland  their  home  and 
where  did  they  settle? 

15.  What  company  controlled  New  Netherland  and  what  powers  did  it  have? 
frt&r*  Describe  the  patroon  system  of  settlement. 

17.  Who  was  the  first  governor  and  \vlien  did  he  begin  to  rule? 

18.  Who  appointed  the  other  officers  of  the  colony? 

19.  Name  the  three  other  governors  under  Dutch  rule  and  give  some  char- 
acteristics of  their  rule. 

20.  Describe  the  manner  in  which  the  Dutch  treated  the  Indians. 

21.  How  did  the  first  serioxis  trouble  with  them  arise? 

22.  Describe  the  Indian  war. 

23.  What  parts  of  the  State  were  settled  at  the  time  of  Minuet's  adminis- 
tration? 

24.  From  what  countries  of  Europe  did  the  settlers  come? 

25.  Why  did  the  people  come  from  New  England  to  New  Netherlaud? 

26.  When  were  slaves  first  brought  in? 

27.  Who  was  the  last  of  the  Dutch  governors  and  how  did  he  compare  with 
the  others? 

28.  Name  the  four  difficulties  confronting  him?    Which  was  the  most  serious? 

29.  Describe  the  Swede  settlement  on  Delaware  Bay. 

30.  How  did  Stuyvesant's  treatment  of  the  Indians  differ  from  Kieft's? 

31.  What  had  the  English  done  in  Connecticut  before  Stuyvesant  arrived? 

32.  What  agreement  did  they  make  with  him? 

33.  Give  an  illustration  of  the  contempt  of  the  English  for  the  Dutch. 

34.  How  did  the  condition  of  the  people  of  Netherland  compare  with  that  of 
the  people  of  New  England? 

35.  What  effect  did'  the  knowledge  of  this  difference  have  on  the  Dutch 
settlers? 


QUESTIONS.  183 

36.  What  was  the  first  representative  body  of  the  people  of  the  State  called 
and  under  whose  rule  did  it  first  meet?    How  much  real  power  did  it  have? 

37.  Describe  -the  surrender  to  the  English. 

38.  Where  did  Stuyvesant  afterwards  live  and  die? 


CHAPTER    III. 

1.  What  position  did  Holland  hold  among  the  European  powers  at  this  time? 

2.  What  were  the  claims  of  the  Dutch  to  New  York?    Of  the  English? 

3.  Why  did  the  Dutch  lose  New  York? 

4.  Tell  what  you  can  of  David  Pietersen  de  Vries  and  Arendt  Van  Curler. 

5.  What  minister  was  prominent  as  a  champion  of  the  people? 

6.  Give  the  general  characteristics  of  the  common  people. 

7.  Describe  some  of  the  punishments  used. 

8.  Describe  the  Dutch  houses. 

9.  Tell  something  of  the  life  of  the  people. 

10.  Describe  the  dress  of  the  men  and  women. 

11.  What  was  the  government  religion? 

12.  Name  other  denominations  found  in  the  colony. 

13.  Who  was  the  first  minister? 

14.  Tell  something  of  the  pay  and  position  of  the  ministers. 

15.  Tell  about  the  first  schoolmaster  and  his  duties. 

16.  What  provision  was  made  for  education? 

17.  Name  some  modern  customs  which  were  derived  from  the  Dutch. 
^8.  What  else  have  we  obtained  from  them? 


PERIOD   II. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

1.  Where  did  the  Puritans  at  first  wish  to  land? 

2.  What  title  had  the  Duke  of  York  to  New  Netherland? 
8.  What  means  did  he  take  to  secure  it? 

4.  Did  the  English  drive  out  the  Dutch? 

5.  What  changes  were  made  in  the  names  of  places  and  of  officers? 


184  HISTORY    OF   THE   EMPIRE   STATE. 

6.  Did  the  colonists  have  the  same  rights  under  English  rule  that  the  New 
England  colonies  possessed? 

7.  "Who  was  the  first  English  governor? 

8.  How  did  his  power  compare  with  that  of  the  Dutch  governors? 

9.  What  characteristic  did  he  have  which  they  lacked? 

10.  What  difficulties  did  he  meet? 

11.  How  was  the  boundary  between  Connecticut  and  New  York  settled? 

12.  What  was  done  with  what  are  now  the  States  of  New  Jersey  and 
Delaware? 

13.  What  became  of  Nichols? 

14.  Who  took  his  place,  and  how  was  he  regarded? 

15.  How  were  the  Indians  treated  by  the  first  English  governors? 
A£  Tell  something  of  the  condition  of  the  colony  under  Lovelace. 

17.  What  led  the  Dutch  to  make  an  attack  on  New  York  city? 

18.  Did  the  Dutch  residents  help  defend  the  city? 

19.  In  what  ways  had  the  rule  of  the  English  disappointed  them? 

20.  Who  was  in  command  of  the  Dutch  fleet?    Of  the  city? 

21.  Describe  the  attack. 

22.  Why  was  the  capture  by  the  Dutch  fairer  than  that  by  the  English  nine 
years  before? 

23.  Who  was  put  in  command  of  the  colony? 

24.  Why  did  the  Dutch  give  New  York  back  to  the  English? 

25.  Who  was  the  next  governor,  and  how  did  he  show  his  activity  ? 

26.  What  was  the  population  of  the  colony  at  this  time?    Of  New  York 
city? 

27.  What  act  had  built  up  this  city  at 'the  expense  of  the  others? 

28.  Give  a  description  of  the  city. 

29.  Tell  something  of  Long  Island  and  Brooklyn. 

30.  How  did  their  education  compare  with  what  it  had  been  under  Dutch 
rule? 

31.  Tell  something  of  their  punishments. 

32.  What  was  generally  used  for  money? 

33.  What  were  the  chief  exports? 

34.  What  were  the  duties  on  imports? 

35.  Why  was  Andros  recalled  and  who  succeeded  him? 

36.  How  did  Dongan  compare  with  former  governors? 

37.  What  was  his  first  act? 

38.  What  was  the  date  of  the  first  charter  of  New  York,  and  what  were  Its 
chief  provisions? 


QUESTION'S.  185 

39.  What  did  the  Duke  require  of  the  assembly  in  return  for  this  charter? 

40.  How  did  he  keep  his  pledge  with  them? 

41.  What  union  of  colonies  was  formed? 

42.  Who  was  sent  as  governor  of  the  colonies,  and  who  as  lieutenant-gover- 
nor of  New  York? 

43.  What  two  parties  were  growing  up  in  the  colony? 

44.  What  change  took  place  in  England  at  this  time,  and  how  did  this  affect 
the  colonists? 

45.  Who  assumed  the  duties  of  governor  and  how  did  he  come  to  do  so? 

46.  Tell  something  of  his  administration. 

47.  What  governor  was  appointed  by  the  new  king? 

48.  What  led  to  the  arrest  of  Leisler,  and  how  was  his  death  warrant 
obtained? 

49.  Give  an  account  of  his  death. 

50.  How  was  he  afterwards  regarded? 


CHAPTER  V. 

1.  What  was  the  disputed  territory  between  New  Prance  and  New  York? 

2.  What  claim  had  each  to  this?     . 

3.  Give  an  account  of  Isaac  Jogues  and  La  Moyne. 

4.  Tell  something  of  the  condition  of  the  Iroquois. 

5.  What  progress  did  the  Jesuits  make? 

6.  Describe  the  French  invasion  of  New  York. 

7.  Why  did  the  French  covet  the  Hudson  Valley? 

8.  What  expedition  did  they  make  into  Western  New  York? 

9.  What  fort  did  they  build  and  with  what  result? 

10.  Tell  what  you  can  of  Count  Frontenac. 

11.  Give  an  account  of  the  burning  of  Schenectady. 

12.  Mention  other  raids  of  the  French  in  the  following  years.  p  0 

13.  Who  was  the  most  notable  leader  of  New  York  forces,  and  what  did  he  do?  f 

14.  What  was  done  in  Queen  Anne's  War? 

15.  What  were  the  strong  and  the  weak  points  of  the  French  and  English  as 

shown  in  these  wars? 

CHAPTER  VI. 
1.  What  names  were  given  to  the  two  political  parties  in  New  York,  and 

why? 


186  HISTORY   OF   THE   EMPIRE    STATE. 

2.  Tell  something  of  Fletcher. 

3.  Give  an  account  of  the  trouble  with  the  pirates.     Who  was  Captain  Kidd? 

4.  Who  followed  Fletcher,  and  which  party  did  he  favor? 

5.  How  was  the  assembly  chosen  at  this  tune  and  of  how  many  did  it  con- 
sist? 

6.  Who  came  as  governor  after  Bellomont's  death  and  how  did  he  compare 
with  Bellomont? 

7.  How  did  the  dispute  between  the  people  and  the  government  of  England 
arise? 

8.  What  power  did  the  assembly  hold  over  the  governors? 

9.  Tell  about  the  salary  of  the  governors. 

10.  Name  the  four  leading  men  of  the  colony. 

11.  Illustrate  the  way  in  which  Cornbury  made  himself  disliked. 

12.  Who  is  the  next  governor  mentioned? 

13.  Give  the  population  of  the  colony  during  the  eighteenth  century. 

14.  What  parts  were  settled? 

15.  Give  an  account  of  the  the  colonization  scheme  of  Governor  Hunter. 

16.  What  advantage  did  the  English  have  over  the  French  in  the  trade  with 
the  Indians? 

17.  What  governor  followed  Hunter  and  what  can  you  say  of  him? 

18.  What  steps  did  he  take  to  defeat  the  attempts  of  the  French? 

19.  How  was  he  hindered  and  in  what  ways  did  he  become  unpopular? 

20.  Give  some  account  of  Governor  Cosby. 

21.  Tell  about  the  first  printing  press  and  the  newspaper  published  in  the 
colony. 

22.  What  was  the  cause  of  starting  an  opposition  paper? 

23.  On  what  charge  was  Zenger  arrested? 

24.  Give  an  account  of  his  trial. 

25.  Name  an  important  result  of  the  verdict  of  this  trial. 

26.  Who  became  acting  governor  after  Cosby 's  death? 

27.  What  did  the  assembly  say  to  him? 

28.  How  did  he  and  other  governors  become  wealthy? 

29.  About  how  many  negroes  were  there  in  New  York  city? 

30.  What  charge  had  been  made  against  the  negroes  years  before? 

31.  Give  an  account  of  the  Negro  Plot  of  1741. 

32.  Were  any  white  persons  implicated  ? 

33.  Who  succeeded  Clarke? 

34.  What  did  the  assembly  refuse  him  and  what  did  they  demand? 


QUESTIONS.  187 

CIIAPTEPv  VII. 

1.  Give  some  account  of  King  George's  war. 

2.  Why  were  not  the  advance  posts  of  New  York  better  protected? 

3.  How  did  the  French  break  the  treaty  made  after  this  war? 

4.  Why  was  the  Albany  convention  called? 

5.  What  colonies  were  represented? 

6.  What  proposal  was  made  by  Benjamin  Franklin? 

7.  In  what  year  did  the  French  and  Indian  war  begin? 

8.  Tell  what  you  can  of  the  cause  of  this  war? 

9.  Give  an  account  of  Shirley's  Expedition. 

10.  Name  the  two  forts  held  by  each  side  in  north-eastern  New  York. 

11.  What  was  the  one  victory  of  the  English  in  1755? 

12.  What  new  leader  was  sent  to  the  French  the  next  year  and  what  did  he  do? 

13.  How  did  this  affect  the  Iroquois? 

14.  How  were  the  soldiers  of  the  colony  regarded  by  the  English  troops? 

15.  Describe  the  surrender  of  Fort  William  Henry. 

16.  How  was  the  following  winter  spent? 

17.  Give  an  account  of  Abercrombie's  attack  on  Fort  Ticonderoga. 

18.  How  was  Fort  Frontenac  taken  and  with  what  result? 

19.  What  general  was  sent  out  by  the  English  and  what  fortress  did  he 
capture? 

20.  How  was  the  war  finished? 

21.  What  was  the  result  of  the  war? 

22.  In  what  ways  had  it  helped  the  colonists? 

23.  Name  some  of  the  cities  which  grew  up  around  forts. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

1.  Name  the  counties  of  Long  Island. 

2.  How  did  the  settlers  of  the  eastern  part  of  the  island  differ  from  those  ia 
the  rest  of  the  colony? 

3.  What  can  you  say  of  the  settlement  of  the  western  part  of  Long  Island  f 

4.  Describe  New  York  cifiy. 

5.  What  was  its  population? 

6.  How  did  it  compare  in  importancewith  the  rest  of  the  State? 

7.  What  had  been  the  established  church  during  Dutch  rule? 

8.  What  was  the  favored  church  under  English  rule? 

9.  Name  some  other  denominations  found  in  the  colony. 


188  HISTOKY    OF   THE   EMPIRE   STATE. 

10.  Tell  about  the  public  buildings  of  the  city. 

11.  What  and  where  was  the  first  college  of  the  State? 

12.  What  was  the  condition  of  education  under  English  rule? 

13.  Tell  something  of  the  southern  Hudson  counties. 

14.  Describe  the  counties  along  the  Hudson. 

15.  Give  some  idea  of  the  extent  of  Albany  county,  and  name  some  of  the 
villages. 

16.  Tell  something  of  the  ways  of  traveling,  of  the  mails,  the  life  of  the 
common  people  and  the  manner  of  dress. 

17.  Name  some  of  the  great  families  of  the  State  and  tell  how  they  lived. 

18.  How  many  acting  governors  did  New  York  have  in  the  century  before 
the  Revolution? 

19.  Give  some  reasons  for  the  frequent  changes. 

20.  Tell  what  you  can  of  Sir  William  Johnson. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

1.  What  were  the  navigation  laws  and  their  effect  upon  the  colonies? 

2.  What  is  meant  by  the  Stamp  Act,  and  when  was  it  passed? 

3.  What  effect  had  this  on  the  colonists? 

4.  Why  was  it  so  strongly  opposed? 

5.  How  wrere  the  colonies  united? 

6.  What  did  the  colonial  congress  of  1765  do? 

7.  Give  an  account  of  November  1,  1765. 

8.  Was  the  Stamp  Act  ever  enforced? 

9.  What  was  the  Quartering  Act? 

10.  Give  an  account  of  the  liberty  poles  of  New  York  city. 

11.  What  were  non-importation  societies,  and  why  were  they  formed? 

12.  What  bill  did  parliament  wish  the  assembly  to  pass? 

13.  How  did  the  English  try  to  force  the  assembly  to  do  this,  and  with  what 
result? 

14.  What  were  the  names  given  to  the  two  parties  in  the  colony? 

15.  Give  some  account  of  the  troubles  with  the  Indians. 

16.  Why  would  a  general  uprising  of  the  Indians  of  the  State  have  been 
especially  dangerous  at  this  time? 

17.  How  was  the  boundary  between  Connecticut  and  New  York  decided? 

18.  What  led  to  the  contest  between  New  Hampshire  and  New  York? 

19.  By  whom  was  it  settled  and  in  whose  favor? 


QUESTIONS. 


20.  What  reaction  was  there,  and  what  kind  of  an  assembly  was  chosen? 
xJl.  How  did  the  new  assembly  displease  the  people? 

^ 


occurrd 
33.  Under  what  circumstances  was  trade  with  England  resumed? 

24.  Why  had  New  York  suffered  more  than  the  other  colonies  from  non- 
importation? 

25.  For  what  is  Lord  Dunmore's  administration  noticeable? 

26.  Who  was  the  last  English  governor? 

27.  What  was  England's  last  attempt  to  enforce  taxation? 

28.  What  was  the  plan  of  parliament  after  the  failure  with  the  tea  tax? 

29.  What  port  was  closed? 

30.  Tell  of  the  three  parties  in  New  York.     Which  was  the  strongest? 

31.  Did  the  New  York  assembly  endorse  the  action  of  the  first  Continental 
Congress? 

32.  Tell  something  of  the  feeling  of  the  people. 

33.  What  was  the  effect  of  the  news  of  the  battle  of  Lexington? 


PERIOD  III. 


CHAPTER  X. 

1.  Give  an  account  of  the  capture  of  Fort  Ticonderoga. 

2.  How  did  the  Green  mountain  boys  happen  to  be  organized? 

3.  What  congress  met  on  the  same  day? 

4.  Which  side  did  most  of  the  Indians  support? 

5.  How  many  men  was  New  York  called  to  furnish  at  first? 

6.  What  two  men  of  the  State  were  appointed  generals' 

7.  Tell  what  you  can  of  Montgomery. 

8.  After  the  English  were  driven  from  Boston,  where  were  they  expected? 

9.  Did  Washington  hope  to  keep  them  out  of  the  city? 

10.  What  steps  were  taken  toward  a  State  government  at  this  time? 

11.  How  was  the  Declaration  of  Independence  received? 

12.  What  battle  was  fought  before  the  English  took  possession  of  New  York 
city? 


190  HISTORY    OF   THE   EMPIRE   STATE. 

13.  Give  some  account  of  "Washington's  retreat. 

14.  Why  was  the  possession  of  the  Hudson  important? 

15.  How  did  the  English  plan  to  get  possession  of  it? 

16.  What  successes  did  Burgoyne  meet? 

17.  What  was  the  plan  of  St.  Leger's  expedition  and  who  were  with  him? 

18.  Describe  the  battle  of  Oriskany. 

19.  Why  was  the  defeat  of  St.  Leger's  troops  especially  important? 

20.  How  was  the  march  of  Burgoyne  hindered? 

21.  In  what  battles  was  he  defeated? 

22.  Who  was  in  command  of  the  American  army  ? 

23.  What  were  some  of  the  effects  of  this  victory  ? 

24.  How  were  the  tones  of  the  State  treated? 

25.  In  what  year  was  the  first  State  constitution  adopted? 

26.  Give  some  of  its  provisions. 

27.  Who  was  the  first  governor  of  the  State? 

28.  What  did  the  English  force  in  New  York  city  do  during  the  last  years  of 
the  war? 

29.  What  kept  them  from  making  further  incursions  into  the  State? 

30.  In  what  two  ways  did  New  York  suffer? 

31.  Describe  the  massacre  of  Cherry  Valley  and  other  raids  of  the  Indians 
and  tories. 

33.  Give  an  account  of  Sullivan's  expedition. 

33.  Why  was  this  undertaken  and  with  what  result? 

34.  What  other  places  suffered  from  the  Indians? 

35.  Tell  something  about  the  capture  of  Stony  Point. 

36.  What  events  happened  at  West  Point,  Tarrytown  and  Tappan? 

87.  Compare  the  treatment  of  Nathan  Hale  and  that  of  Major  Andre. 

88.  How  did  the  English  treat  their  prisoners? 
39.  Describe  the  last  campaign  of  the  war. 


CHAPTER    XI. 

1.  In  what  year  were  the  Articles  of  Confederation  adopted? 

2.  How  many  States  had  ratified  them? 

3.  State  their  chief  provisions. 

4.  Name  some  powers,  now  belonging  to  the  United  States  government, 
which  were  then  held  by  the  legislature  of  the  State. 

5.  What  was  the  extent  of  the  United  States  at  the  close  of  the  Revolution? 


QUESTIONS.  191 

6.  What  trouble  arose  over  the  land  west  of  New  York?    How  was  this 
settled? 

7.  What  position  did  the  State  take  with  regard  to  revenue  taxes? 

8.  Why  is  the  25th  of  November  celebrated  in  New  York  city? 

9.  Describe  some  of  the  changes  which  took  place  in  the  city  during  the 
war. 

10.  How  were  the  tories  treated  ? 

11.  How  did  the  English  break  the  treaty? 

12.  Name  some  causes  which  contributed  to  the  growth  of  Albany. 

13.  How  did  Albany  rank  among  the  cities  of  the  United  States? 

14.  What  part  had  the  Iroquois  taken  in  the  war? 

15.  What  was  the  result  of  this? 

16.  What  was  one  way  in  which  soldiers  were  rewarded  for  their  services? 

17.  By  whom  was  the  central  part  of  the  State  largely  settled? 

18.  What  was  the  population  of  the  State? 

19.  How  did  it  compare  with  that  of  1880? 

20.  What  was  the  population  of  New  York  city? 

21.  What  legislative  bodies  met  in  that  city? 

22.  Who  was  governor  during  these  years? 

23.  For  what  purpose  was  the  Board  of  Regents  created? 

24.  Name  some  of  the  causes  of  the  weakness  of  the  Confederacy. 

25.  Did  the  action  of  New  York  tend  to  strengthen  the  Confederacy? 

26.  What  was  the  object  of  the  convention  which  met  at  Philadelphia  in  1787? 

27.  Were  the  people  of  New  York  generally  in  favor  of  a  new  constitution? 

28.  How  many  of  the  delegates  of  the  State  remained  through  the  conven- 
tion? 

29.  What  two  parties  grew  up  at  this  time? 

30.  Name  some  of  the  leading  men  of  each. 

31.  What  were  the  arguments  used  on  each  side? 

32.  What  finally  led  New  York  to  adopt  the  constitution? 

33.  How  large  was  the  majority  in  the  convention  favoring  its  adoption? 
34]  Why  did  not  New  York  take  part  in  the  first  presidential  election? 

35.  Who  were  the  first  United  States  senators  from  the  State? 

36.  When  and  where  was  Washington  inaugurated? 


PERIOD  IV. 

CHAPTER  XII. 
1.  How  long  did  congress  meet  in  New  York  city  and  why  was  it  removed 


192  HISTORY    OF  THE   EMPIRE   STATE. 

2.  What  were  the  two  parties? 

3.  What  was  the  chief  issue  between  them? 

4.  To  which  party  did  Governor  Clinton  belong? 

5.  Describe  the  State  election  of  1792. 

6.  Who  was  chosen  governor  at  the  next  election? 

7.  Tell  what  you  can  about  the  Jay  treaty. 

8.  How  long  was  the  governor's  term  of  office? 

9.  How  were  the  presidential  electors  chosen? 

10.  Describe  the  difficulty  with  Vermont. 

11.  How  were  the  public  lands  disposed  of  ? 

12.  Mention  some  counties  formed  after  the  war. 

13.  How  many  counties  were  there  in  1800? 

14.  What  parts  of  the  State  were  first  settled  and  why  ? 

15.  In  what  ratio  did  the  population  increase  from  1790  to  1800? 

16.  What  plans  were  made  for  facilitating  travel  by  water? 

17.  In  what  condition  were  most  of  the  roads? 

18.  Tell  about  the  newspapers  published  in  the  State. 

19.  Tell  what  you  can  of  the  mails  and  letters. 

20.  Describe  the  appearance  of  New  York  city  at  this  time  and  tell  how  it 
was  supplied  with  water. 

21.  Name  two  towns  which  were  springing  up  on  the  Hudson. 

22.  When  and  where  was  the  capital  permanently  located  ? 

23.  What  rank  did  New  York  have  with  the  other  States  in  1800? 

24.  What  was  the  chief  occupation  of  the  people? 

25.  What  other  industries  were  being  developed? 

26.  What  was  the  first  college  organized  by  the  Regents? 

27.  When  was  State  money  first  given  to  the  common  schools? 

28.  How  many  slaves  were  there  in  New  York? 

29.  What  governor  did  much  to  abolish  slavery? 

30.  What  was  the  Council  of  Appointment?    Of  Revision? 

31.  Describe  Jay's  difficulty  with  these  councils  and  how  it  was  settled. 

32.  What  war  was  threatening  at  this  time? 

33.  Who  was  chosen  governor  in  1801  ? 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

1.  Who  introduced  the  spoils  system  in  this  State? 

2.  What  is  meant  by  this  system? 


QUESTIONS.  193 

3.  Name  the  most  influential  republicans  at  this  time? 

4.  How  was  Burr  regarded  and  why? 

5.  Tell  something  of  Livingston. 

6.  "Who  was  the  leader  in  the  State  during  the  first  twenty -five  years  of  the 
19th  century? 

7.  Tell  something  of  his  early  public  life. 

8.  Describe  the  duel  between  Hamilton  and  Burr. 

9.  What  were  some  of  its  results? 

10.  Briefly  describe  Burr's  after  life. 

11.  What  was  the  beginning  of  the  permanent  school  fund? 

12.  How  had  money  been  raised  for  school  purposes  before? 

13.  Were  all  the  schools  free  at  this  time? 

14.  Mention  some  of  the  events  of  the  year  1807  that  show  progress. 

15.  Tell  something  of  Noah  Webster. 

16.  Who  was  the  first  master  of  American  literature,  and  what  were  some  of 
his  works? 

17.  What  progress  had  manufacturers  made? 

18.  Describe  the  first  trip  of  the  Clermont. 

19.  What  two  European  countries  were  at  war  at  this  time,  and  Iwv  did  thia 
affect  the  United  States? 

20.  What  is  an  embargo? 

21.  Why  did  the  embargo  affect  New  York  more  than  other  States? 

22.  What  changes  were  made  in  president  and  governor  during  the  years 
1808  and  1809? 

23.  Was  the  embargo  a  success? 

24.  Were  the  people  of  the  State  generally  in  favor  of  the  war  of  1812? 

25.  What  acts  of  England  led  to  a  change  of  feeling? 

26.  Compare  the  condition  of  the  State  in  the  war  of  1812  and  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. 

27.  What  part  of  the  State  suffered  most? 

28.  Describe  the  two  lines  of  defences  along  the  Niagara  river. 

29.  What  victories  did  the  Americans  gain  in  Canada? 

30.  What  villages  were  burned  by  the  English? 

31.  What  victories  freed  western  New  York  from  danger? 

32.  Describe  the  campaign  along  Lake  Ontario  and  the  St.  Lawrence. 

33.  Was  the  greater  part  of  the  war  fought  on  land  or  sea? 

34.  What  made  New  York  city  an  important  point? 

35.  Describe  the  preparations  made. 


194  HISTORY    OF  THE   EMPIRE   STATE. 

36.  Describe  the  expedition  of  the  English  to  Lake  Champlain  and  the  battles 
fought. 

37.  What  was  gained  by  the  war? 

38.  Who  was  the  first  Superintendent  of  Schools? 

39.  What  military  academy  was  organized  at  the  beginning  of  this  war? 

40.  Tell  what  you  can  about  the  Sunday  schools  of  New  York. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

1.  On  what  were  the  parties  of  the  State  divided  after  the  war  of  1812? 

2.  Who  headed  the  opposition  to  Clinton? 

3.  Through  whose  influence  had   Governor  Tompkins  received  his  first 
offices? 

4.  Tell  something  of  the  society  of  Tammany. 

5.  What  names  were  given  to  the  two  factions  of  the  democratic  party? 

6.  To  which  did  the  Tammany  men  belong? 

7.  What  State  was  a  rival  of  New  York? 

8.  Who  succeeded  Madison  as  president? 

9.  Why  did  the  people  of  New  York  think  that  the  president  should  come 
from  the  north? 

10.  What  compromise  was  made? 

11.  How  long  was  Tompkins  governor  of  the  State? 

12.  What  was  one  of  his  last  and  most  illustrious  acts? 

13.  What  former  governor  had  labored  to  free  the  slaves  and  with  what  effect? 

14.  Give  the  date  of  their  final  emancipation. 

15.  For  what  is  July  4,  1817,  notable? 

16.  Name  the  natural  water  routes  of  the  State. 

17.  Give  the  early  history  of  the  canal. 

18.  What  route  was  suggested  by  Washington? 

19.  Why  was  the  route  through  New  York  preferable? 

20.  Who  was  the  first  man  to  put  these  projects  in  definite  shape,  and  what 
did  he  advise? 

21.  To  whose  efforts  is  the  canal  due? 

22.  Who  surveyed  the  route? 

23.  Name  some  of  the  committee  appointed  to  go  over  the  route. 

24.  To  what  lake  did  they  first  plan  the  canal? 

25.  What  was  the  estimated  cost  of  a  canal  to  Lake  Erie? 

26.  Why  did  New  York  ask  congress  to  build  the  canal  and  with  what  result? 


QUESTIONS.  195 

27.  Why  was  Clinton  not  a  candidate  for  governor  in  1822? 

28.  Tell  what  you  can  of  the  removal  of  Gideon  Hawley. 

29.  What  was  the  Albany  Regency? 

30.  How  many  national  parties  were  there  at  this  tune? 
31    What  party  was  growing  up  in  New  York? 

32.  What  two  reforms  did  its  leaders  advocate? 

33.  What  bill  was  carried  through  the  legislature  by  the  enemies  of  Clinton? 

34.  What  action  did  the  people's  party  take? 

35.  Why  was  Clinton's  election  particularly  fitting  at  this  time? 

36.  What  was  the  first  cost  of  the  canal? 

37.  The  entire  cost? 

38.  Give  its  dimensions  and  describe  its  course. 

39.  How  is  the  -water  furnished,  and  in  which  direction  does  it  flow? 

40.  When  was  the  water  first  let  in? 

41.  How  was  this  fact  made  known  in  New  York  city? 

42.  What  events  during  the  war  of  1812  made  the  necessity  of  a  canal  more 
apparent? 

43.  What  were  some  of  the  objections  made  to  the  plan? 

44.  In  what  year  was  the  work  begun? 

45.  Between  what  two  cities  was  the  canal  first  made? 

46.  How  was  opposition  to  the  scheme  shown  in  1819,  and  with  what  result? 

47.  How  long  was  the  first  constitution  in  force? 

48.  Name  some  members  of  the  constitutional  convention  of  1821. 

49.  In  what  year  was  the  second  constitution  adopted? 

50.  What  change  was  made  in  regard  to  property  qualification  of  voters? 

51.  What  councils  were  abolished  and  to  whom  were  their  powers  given? 

52.  What  courts  were  established? 

53.  At  what  number  were  the  senate  and  assembly  fixed? 

54.  How  was  the  governor's  term  changed? 

55.  Who  succeeded  Clinton  as  governor? 

56.  Describe  the  first  trip  to  the  ocean. 

57.  Give  an  account  of  the  celebration  in  New  York  city. 

58.  What  progress  had  the  State  made  in  1825? 


PERIOD  V. 


CHAPTER  XV. 
1.  Mention  some  changes  which  took  place  in  the  next  twenty  years. 


196  HISTORY    OF   THE    EMPIRE   STATE. 

2.  To  what  did  Clinton  turn  his  attention  after  the  completion  of  the  Erie 
canal? 

3.  Describe  his  death  and  character. 

4.  Who  was  the  leading  man  of  the  State  after  his  death? 

5.  What  change  was  made  in  1828  in  the  manner  of  chosing  presidential 
electors? 

6.  To  what  office  had  Van  Buren  been  elected  and  why  did  he  leave  it? 

7.  Give  a  description  of  the  rise  of  the  anti-masons. 

8.  How  strong  did  the  anti-masonic  party  become? 

9.  Who  was  elected  governor  in  1832? 

10.  What  name  did  the  opponents  of  the  democratic  party  take? 

11.  Who  was  their  first  candidate  for  governor? 

12.  Who  was  the  first  president  from  New  York? 

13.  Tell  something  of  the  prosperity  of  these  times. 

14.  Describe  the  panic  of  1837. 

15.  How  did  this  affect  the  election  of  1838? 

16.  What  led  to  the  anti-rent  troubles? 

17.  Describe  the  anti-rent  rebellion. 

18.  How  were  the  difficulties  settled? 

19.  Tell  something  of  the  Patriot  war. 

20.  What  plans  were  made  for  opening  up  the  southern  counties? 

21.  When  and  where  was  the  first  railroad  of  the  State  built? 

22.  What  canals  were  built? 

23.  Tell  something  of  the  travel  on  these  canals.     What  was  their  chief  use? 

24.  Tell  of  the  decrease  in  the  cost  of  freight. 

25.  What  was  the  population  of  the  State  in  1850? 

26.  Tell  what  you  can  of  the  growth  of  New  York  city?    . 

27.  What  change  was  made  in  lighting  the  city  ? 

28.  What  took  the  place  of  the  stages? 

29.  When  and  by  whom  was  the  telegraph  invented  ? 

30.  State  what  you  can  of  the  newspapers  of  this  period. 

31.  Name  some  of  the  prominent  business  men. 

32.  Tell  something  of  the  riots.     What  has  made  the  city  more  orderly? 

33.  What  disasters  were  supposed  to  be  the  result  of  the  insufficient  supply 
of  water? 

34.  Describe  the  first  Croton  aqueduct. 

35.  Tell  what  you  can  of  Central  Park. 

36.  Name  some  of  the  distinguished  people  who  were  publicly  welcomed  in 
New  York  city. 


QUESTIONS.  197 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

1.  Tell  something  of  the  early  history  of  education  in  the  State. 

2.  What  governors  and  what  secretary  of  state  were  especially  interested  in 
schools? 

3.  What  means  were  taken  to  provide  qualified  teachers? 

4.  What  were  the  county  superintendents? 

5.  Where  was  the  first  normal  school? 

6.  How  were  the  expenses  of  the  common  schools  paid? 

7.  What  were  the  principal  changes  made  by  the  third  constitution? 

8.  Give  an  account  of  the  passage  and  repeal  of  the  free  school  act. 

9.  What  school  office  was  created  in  1854? 

10.  What  changes  has  invention  made  in  the  daily  life  of  the  people? 

11.  What  improvements  were  made  in  morals? 

12.  What  connection  with  the  history  of  New  York  have  the  Shakers,  Mor- 
mons, Millerites,  John  H.  Noyes,  and  John  Brown? 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

1.  What  stand  was  taken  by  the  people  of  the  State  in  regard  to  slavery  in 
the  early  part  of  the  century? 

2.  Give  an  account  of  the  trouble  between  Virginia  and  New  York. 

3.  How  were  the  admission  of  Texas,  the  Mexican  war,  and  the  compromise 
of  1850  regarded? 

4.  What  party  sprang  up  and  for  what  purpose? 

5.  Who  was  the  first  republican  governor? 

6.  Who  was  the  candidate  for  president  from  New  York  at  the  republican 
national  convention  of  1860? 

7.  What  office  did  he  hold  during  the  war? 

8.  Were  all  the  people  of  the  State  united  in  favoring  the  war? 

9.  What  was  the  position  of  New  York  city? 

10.  How  did  New  York  respond  to  Lincoln's  first  call? 

11.  How  were  the  people  affected  by  the  battle  of  Bull  Run? 

12.  How  many  soldiers  did  New  York  send  during  the  first  year  of  the  war? 

13.  In  what  other  ways  did  the  State  aid  the  union? 

14.  Who  was  elected  governor  in  1862?    Of  what  party  was  he? 

15.  Give  an  account  of  the  Draft  Riots. 

16.  How  many  troops  did  New  York  furnish  during  the  war? 

17.  What  is  the  15th  amendment  to  the  constitution? 


198  HISTORY    OF   THE    EMl'IRK    STATE. 

18.  In  what  year  did  New  York  ratify  it? 

19.  In  what  year  were  the  schools  of  the  State  made  free? 

20.  How  was  the  number  of  academies  and  academic  departments  increased? 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

1.  Tell  what  you  can  of  the  political  history  of  the  State  since  1870. 

2.  What  change  was  made  in  the  term  of  office  of  the  governor  in  1876? 

3.  Who  was  elected  to  that  position  in  1882?    Who  succeeded  him  as  gov- 
ernor? 

4.  What  candidates  for  president  and  vice-president  have  come  from  this 
State? 

5.  Which  of  these  have  been  elected? 

6.  What  was  the  Tweed  Ring? 

7.  By  what  paper  was  it  exposed,  and  what  was  the  result  of  the  exposure? 

8.  What  was  the  population  of  New  York  city  in  1880? 

9.  In  what  two  ways  was  rapid  transit  obtained  in  the  city? 

10.  Tell  what  you  can  of  the  Statue  of  Liberty  and  of  the  capitol  at  Albany . 

11.  Mention  places  in  the  State  noted  for  beautiful  scenery  and  as  summer 
resorts. 

12.  What  was  the  population  of  the  State  in  1880? 

13.  In  what  respects  was  it  first? 

14.  Compare  its  foreign  and  domestic  traffic  with  that  of  other  States. 

15.  What  can  you  say  of  it  as  an  agricultural  State  ?    Name  some  of  its  pro- 
ducts. 

16.  Tell  something  of  its  manufacturing  interests. 

17.  Give  an  account  of  its  schools. 

18.  What  centennial  celebrations  have  been  held  in  New  York? 


INDEX. 


Abercromble,  Gen.,  72,  73 

Adams,  John,  119, 120, 125, 148 

Adams,  John  Quincy,  149 

Albany  (city)  16,  35,  37, 

43,  62r70,  80,  101,  112,  122,  123,  145 
Albany  (county)  80  • 

Allen,  Ethan,  97,  93 

Andre,  Major,  107, 108 

Andros,  Edmund,  39,  40,  42,  43,  45, 4( 

Anti-federalists,  115, 116,  see  republicans,  119 


Cabot, 

Canada, 

Canals, 


10,  49-54,  98,  99,  101.  153,  l54 
121,  139,  148,  154,  155,  see  Erie  canal. 


Anti-masons, 
Anti-Rent  Rebellion, 
Aqueduct,  Croton, 
Arnold,  Benedict, 
Arthur,  Chester  A., 
Assembly  (colonial), 
Astor,  John  Jacob, 


Capitol, 
Castle  Island, 
Centennial  Celebrations; 
Central  Park, 
Champlain,  Samuel, 
Chapin,  E.  H., 
Cherry  Valley, 
Civil  war, 
Clark,  Myron  H., 
Clarke,  George, 
Clermont, 
Cleveland,  Grover, 


Battery,  the, 
Beecher,  Henry  Ward, 
Bellomont,  Gov., 
Bennett,  James  Gordon, 
Benson,  Egbert, 
Black  Rock, 
Block,  Adrian, 
Bogardus,  Everardus, 
Bouck,  William  C., 
Bradford,  William, 
Brant,  Joseph, 
Brooklyn, 
Brown,  John, 
Bryant,  William  Cullen, 
Buchanan,  James, 
Bucktails, 
Buffalo, 

Burgoyne,  Gen., 
Burnet,  Gov., 
Burr,  Aaron, 
Butler,  Walter, 


150 

152, 153 
157, 158 

99,  102, 107, 108 
173 
43,  56,  58,  60,  63,  65,  68  *  Clinton,  Admiral, 

156       Clinton,  Dewitt,       113, 114, 115, 131, 132, 137. 
138,  140,  141,  143-146,  148,  149,  154,  159,  161 
Clinton,  Gen.  (English),  103, 107, 108 

47   I  Clinton,  George,  89, 98, 104, 

164  113,  114,  119,  125-127,  131,  139 


175 

13,  i& 

178 

15g 

9.  10,  11,  12 
164 
105 

164,169 
'  162 
65,66,67 
129,  130 
1?£  173 
67,  69 


156 

166, 167 
137 

113,  122,  132, 133,  145. 151 
101,  102, 103 
62,  68 

119, 126, 127, 128,  161 
105,106 


56  )t    Clinton,  James, 
156       Clmtonians, 
116       Golden,  Cadwallader, 
132, 133      Columbia  College, 
14   ^  Columbus, 
31  ^  Colve,  Anthony, 
153, 162       Commerce.    See  trade. 

64  •    Confederation,  Articles  of. 
101, 106       Congress,  Colonial, 
15, 19,  41,  75  )C  Congress,  Continental, 
164 

Conkling,  Roscoe, 


105 
187 

82,  87,  93,  139 
78, 113,  185 

I 


109,  114 
86 
M, 

98,100, 109, 110,  113,  114 
173 


Connecticut,  22, 86, 40, 75.  90, 1 12 
Constitutions,      103,  104, 114-116, 141,  142,  160 

Cooper,  Feniraore,  107 

Cooper,  Peter,  1M 

Cornbury,  Lord,  57, 58,  60 
Cornell,  Alonzo  B., 

Cornell  University,  170 


199 


200 


HISTORY   OF  THE   EMPIRE    STATE. 


Cornwallis,  Gen., 

108 

French,                10,  11,  15,  47-55, 

61,  69-73,  108 

Cosby,  Gov., 

63-65 

Frontenac,  Count, 

52,  53 

Council  (colonial). 

56 

Frontenac,  Fort,                       51, 

52,  62,  71,  73 

Council  of  appointment, 

134,142 

Fulton,  Robert, 

129,  140 

Council  of  revision. 

125,  142 

Counties,             45,  75,  79, 

80,  120,  121,  146,  163 

Criminals, 

18,129 

Gates,  Gen., 

103 

Crown  Point, 

71,  73,  98 

Geddes,  Joseph, 

140 

Customs, 

30,  32,  42,  81,  82,  163 

Genet, 

125 

German  Flats, 

61,  105 

Grant,  Gen., 

170,  173 

De  Lancy,  Stephen, 

63,70 

Greeley,  Horace, 

156,  166,  173 

Delaware,  State  off 

36 

Greenback  Party, 

173 

Democrats, 

143,  151,  168 

Dunrnore,  Gov., 

92 

Dickens,  Charles, 

158 

Half  Moon,  the, 

12,  13 

Dickinson,  Daniel  S., 

163 

Hale,  Nathan, 

107,  108 

Dix,  John  A., 

159,  172 

Hamilton,  Alexander, 

79.  93,  112, 

Dongan  Charter, 

43,  44,  45 

114,  115,  118 

,  125,  127,  128 

Dongan,  Thomas, 

43,  45,  52 

Hamilton,  Andrew, 

64,65 

Draft  Riots, 

168,  169 

Hamilton  College, 

123,  135 

Draper,  Andrew  S., 

177 

Harrison,  William  Henry, 

152 

Dress, 

31,  81,  82 

Hawley,  Gideon, 

143 

Duke  of  York, 

34,  39,  44,  45,  46 

Hendrick,  King, 

70 

Duke's  Laws,  the 

36 

Herkimer,  Gen., 

101,  102 

Hill,  David  B., 

172 

Hoffman,  John  T., 

170,  172 

Education,  see  schools. 

Houses, 

29 

Edward.  Fort, 

71,  72,  101 

Howe,  Gen., 

99,  100 

Embargo, 

130,  131 

Hudson,  Henry,                         9, 

10,  11,  12,  13 

Erie  Canal, 

11,  130,139-146,  155 

Hudson,  river,    10,  11,  14,  51,  101 

,  107,  108,  123 

Esopus, 

19,  24,  37,  43 

Hudson  (city), 

123 

Evacuation  Day, 

110 

Hunt,  Washington, 

162 

Evarts,  William  M., 

173 

Hunter,  Robert, 

60,  61,  62 

Evertsen,  Cornelis, 

88 

Falls,  Niagara,  175 

Federalists,  115, 
118,  119, 120, 125,  126,  131,  132,  137 

Fenton,  Reuben  E.,  169, 170 

Field,  Cyrus  W.,  156 

Fish,  Hamilton,  162, 163 

Fitch,  John,  122, 130 

Fletcher,  Gov.,  55,  56,  64 

France,  9, 103, 125 

Franklin,  Benjamin,  70 

Fremont,  John  C.,  166 


Ingoldsby,  Richard,  47 

Irondequoit  Bay,  52 

Iroquois,     9,  10, 11,  17,  18,  19,  37,  49-54,  70,  72, 
83,  89,  98,  101,  102,  104,  106, 110,  112,  133,  139 
Irving.  Washington,  17,  129,  158 


Jackson,  Gen.,  149, 151 

James  II.,  see  Duke  of  York. 
Jay,  John, 

94,  98,  104,  115,  118,  119,  124-126,  138,  148 
Jay,  Peter,  139 


INDEX. 

201 

Jay,  William,                                             139 
Jefferson,  Thomas, 
118,  119,  125,126,  127,  131,  148 

Marcy,  William  L., 
Martha's  Vineyard, 
May,  Captain, 

143,  151,  163 
86,40 
14,  10 

Jesuits, 
Jogues,  Isaac, 
Johnson,  John, 
Johnson,  Sir  William, 

49-51 
49 
98,  101,  106 
70-73,  83,  89,  94 

McClellan,  Gen., 
McDougal,  Alexander, 
Megapolensis,  John. 
Mexican  War, 

168 
01.93 
27 
165 

Milborne, 

47,48 

Miller,  William, 

164 

Kent,  James, 

142 

Mining, 

123 

Kidd,  Captain, 

56 

Minuet,  Peter, 

16-19,  21 

Kieft,  William. 

17-19,  21,  24,  27 

Mohegans, 

10 

King,  John  A. 

162,166 

Money, 

42,  60 

King,  Ruf  us. 

116,  118,  142 

Monroe,  President, 

138,  143,  148 

King's  College,  see  Columbia. 

Montcalm, 

71,  72,  73 

Kingston, 

80,  103,  107 

Montgomery,  Richard. 

98,99 

Kirkland,  Samuel, 

123 

Montreal, 

13,52,53 

Kossuth, 

158 

Morgan,  Edwin  D., 

166 

Morgan,  William, 

150 

Morris,  Gouverneur, 

79,  126,  127,  139.  140 

Labor  Parties, 

173 

Morris,  Lewis, 

59.60,64 

Lafayette, 

58 

Morse,  Samuel  F.  B., 

156 

Lamb,  John,  91, 93 

L  e  Moyne,  50 

Lansing,  114, 115 

Lee,  Ann,  164 

Lee,  Gen.,  168 

Leisler,  Jacob,  46-48 

Leislerians,  55 

Lewis,  Morgan,  i27, 128, 131 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  166, 167. 169 

Lind,  Jenny,  158 

Livingston,  Brockholst,  120, 127 

Livingston,  Robert,  59,  60,  98 
Livingston,  Robert  R., 

115,  116,  126,  129,  140,  149 
Long  Island, 

9, 11, 15,  22,  37,  41,  43,  60.  61,  75,  100 

Lovelace,  Lord,  87,  38 

Lundy's  Lane.  133 


Mac  donongh.  Commodore, 
Madison,  President, 
Mails, 

Manhattan  Island, 
Manning,  Captain, 
Manufactures, 


134,135 
131,  132,  138 
81.122 
13,  18,  19 
38 
123,  129,  176,  177 


Nantucket,  36 

Navigation  Laws  84 

Negro  Plot,  66,  67 

New  Amsterdam,  15,  20,  25,  28, 

see  New  York  City. 

New  France,  49, 51 

New  Netherland,  14, 19 

Newspapers,  64, 84,  85, 122, 129, 156 

New  York  city.  37,  51,  61,  66,  76-78,  83, 

85-88.  01-93,  99,  100,  104,  111,  113, 116,  118, 

122,  125,  129,  132,  134,  145, 146. 151, 155-158, 

167-169, 174,  see  New  Amsterdam. 

Niagara,  Fort,  52,  63,  68,  70,  73,  112, 132 

Nichols,  Richard,  34-37 

Nicholson,  45, 46 

Non-importation,  ^-.  ".' 

Normal  schools,  160, 170, 177 

Noyes,  John  H.,  1M 


Ogdensburg,  69,74,112,183 

Oriskany,  battle,  101. 103 

Orange,  Fort,  16. 10.  35 

Oswego,         62.  70,  71,  73,  80,  101, 102, 112, 158 


203 


HISTORY   OF   THE   EMPIRE    STATE. 


Palmyra,  164 

Panics,  financial,  151,  173 
Parties,           45, 119,  125,  137,  143, 166,  172, 173 

Patriot  war,  153,  154 

Patroons,  16, 82 

Pavonia,  15, 19,  22 

Pemaquid,  43 

Penn,  William,  43 

People's  Party,  143, 144 

Physicians,  129 

Pirates,  55, 56 

Pitt,  73, 88 

Pittsburgh,  134 
Population,                              19,  20,  40,  61,  76, 
112, 113,  121,  123,  146,  155,  169,  174,  175 

Poughkeepsie,  80, 115, 175 

Prisons,  128,  163 

Produce,  41, 163,  176 

Prohibition,  162, 173 

Puritans,  34 


Quakers, 

Quartering  Act, 

Quebec, 

Queen  Anne's  War, 

Queenstown  Heights, 


20,  78,  139 

85,88 

73,99 

53,54 

133 


Railroads,  154 

Randall,  Samuel  S.,  160 

Raymond,  Henry  J.,  156 

Regents,  113, 123,  170,  171 

Religion,  31,  45,  49,  55,  77, 78,  91,  164 

Rensselaerwick,  16,  19,  43 

Republicans  (democratic-republican  party), 

119,  125, 126, 127,  see  anti-federalists, 

and  democrats. 

Republican  party  (modern)i  166,  169 

Rice,  Victor  M,  162 

Roads,  122,  154 

Robinson,  Lucius,  172 

Rochester,  144, 145, 151 

Roelandsen,  Adam,  32 

Rome,  74, 139,  141 


Sandy  Hook,  10, 13, 134 

Saratoga,  69,  80,  103 

Schenectady,  20,  27,  51,  52,  61,  80 

Schools,  32,  41,  79,  123,  124,  128, 
135,  136,  143,  148,  159-162,  170, 171,  177 

Schuyler,  Peter,  53,  55,  59,  63. 

Schuyler,  Philip,  89,  98,  99, 
101,  103, 112,  115,  116,  118,  119 

Sears,  Isaac,  88,  93 

Seward,  William  H.,  151,  153, 163,  105,  1G6- 

Seymour,  Horatio,  162,  168,  170 

Shakers,  160 

Slaves,  30,  67. 124, 138,  165-174 

Sloughter,  Gov.,  47,  48,  55 

Smith,  Joseph,  164 

Smith,  Melancthon,  115 

Smith,  William,  59,  60,  64,  65,  70 

Sons  of  Liberty,  65,  85,  88,  91-94, 118 

Spencer,  Ambrose,  142 

Stamp  Act,  84,  85,  87,  88 

Stanwix,  Fort,  101,  102, 105 

Steamboats,  129 

Steuben,  Gen.,  112 

Stewart,  Alexander  T.,  156 

St.  Leger,  Gen.,  101-103 

Stony  Point,  107 

Stuyvesant,  Peter,  17,  21,  23-25,  27 

Sullivan,  Gen.,  105, 106 

Sunday  Schools,  135, 13& 

Swedes,  21 

Syracuse,  10,  151 


Tammany, 
Throop,  Enos  T., 
Ticonderoga,  Fort, 
Tilden,  Samuel  J., 


137 

149,  150 

71-73,  98,  101 

172,  173 


Tompkins,  Daniel  D.,  131, 137, 138, 141, 142, 149 
Tories,  45,  89,  93,  94,  103, 105,  111,  112 

Trade,  17,  37,  42,  61,  63,  92,  112,  158,  176 

Travel,  80, 156, 174 

Troy,  12S 

Tryon,  Gov.,  92,  95 

Tryon  (county),  10ft 

Tweed,  William  H.,  174 

Twelve  Men,  the,  24,  27 


Sackett's  Harbor, 


133       Underbill,  John, 


INDEX. 


203 


Union  College, 
TTry,  John. 

Utica, 


Van  Buren,  Martin, 


Van  Curler, 

Van  Dam,  Rip, 

Van  Rensselaer,  Kilian, 

Van  Rensselaer,  Stephen, 

Van  Twiller,  Walter, 

Vermont, 

Virginia, 

Vries,  de, 


123, 135 

67 

74,  141,  151,  165 


137,  142, 

143,  149,  151,  152, 154 
27 

63,64 
16 
2.142 

ir 

90,  97,  120 


115, 138 

ar 


Warner,  Seth,  97,  98 

Washington,  Fort,  100 

Washington,  Geo.,  11,  98-100, 103-105, 

108,  110,  111,  114,  116,  118,  119,  125,  139 
WTatervliet,  164 

Wayne,  Anthony,  107 


Webster,  Noah,  12? 

Weed,  Thurlow,  151 

West  Indian  Company,  Dutch,  18 

West  Point,  107 

Wheeler,  William.  A.,  17? 
Whigs,                                              151, 152, 166 

White,  Hugh,  113 

Whitestown,  113, 122 

Wilkinson,  Jemima,  104 

William  Henry,  Fort,  71,  72 

William,  King,  46 

Wolfe,  Gen.,  73 
Wright.  Silas,                                 153, 162, 163 


Yates.  114, 115 

Yates,  Joseph  C.,  134 

Yorktown,  108 

Young,  John,  153,  102 


Zenger,  Peter,  64.  65 


GOVERNORS   OF  NEW  YORK. 


COLONIAL. 

Cornelius  Jacobsen  May,  1624  Earl  of  Bellamont,  1698 


William  Verhulst,  1625 
Peter  Minuet,  1626 
Wouter  Van  Twiller,  1633 
William  Kieft,  1638 
Peter  Stuyvesant,  1647 
Richard  Nicolls,  1664 
Francis  Lovelace,  1668 
Cornells  Evertse,  Jr.,*  1673 
Anthony  Colve,  1673 
Edmund  Andros,  1674 
Anthony  Brockholles,t  1677 


John  Nanfan,?  1699 
Earl  of  Bellamont,  1700 
Eldest  Councillor    prea- 

ent,§  1701 

John  Nanfan,?  1701 
Lord  Cornbury,  1702 
Lord  Lovelace,  1708 
Peter  Schuyler,§  1709 
Richard  Ingoldesby,?  1709 
Peter  Schuyler,§  1709 
Richard  Ingoldesby,?  1709 


Sir  Edmund  Andros,  Knt., 1678  Gerardus  Beeckman,§  1710 

Anthony  Brockholles.t  1681      Robert  Hunter,  1710 

Thomas  Dongan,  1683 

Sir  Edmund  Andros,  1688 

Francis  Nicholson,?  1688 

Jacob  Leisler,  1689 

Henry  Sloughter,  1691. 

Richard  Ingoldesby,  t  1691 

Benjamin  Fletcher,  1692 


*  And  a  Council  of  War. 
t  Commander-in-Chief. 


Peter  Schuyler,§  1719 
William  Bui-net,  1720 
John  Montgomery,  1728 
Rip  Van  Dam,§  1731 
William  Cosby,  1732 
George  Clarke,§  1736 
George  Clarke,?  1736 

?  Lieutenant-Governor. 

§  President  of  the  Council. 


George  Clinton,  1743 

Sir  Danvers  Osborne,  Bart., 

1753 

James  De  Lancey,?  1753 
Sir  Charles  Hardy,  Knt.,  1755 
James  De  Lancey,?  1757 
Cadwallader  Colden,§  1760 
Cadwallader  Golden,?  1761 
Robert  Monckton,  1761 
Cadwallader  Colden,?  1761 
Robert  Monckton,  1762 
Cadwallader  Colden,?  1763 
6ir  Henry  Moore,  Bart.,  1765 
Cadwallader  Colden.?  1769 
Earl  of  Dunmore,  1770 
William  Tryon,  1771 
Cadwallader  Golden,?  1774 
William  Tryon,  1775 
James  Robertson,}  1780 
Andrew  Elliott, 1 1  1783 


Military  Governors  during  the  Revolution,  not  recognized  by  the  State  of  New  York. 
PRESIDENTS  OF  THE  PROVINCIAL  CONGRESS,  ETC. 


Peter  van,  Brugb  Livington, 

1775 

Nathaniel  Woodhull,*  1775 
Abraham  Yates,  Jr.,*  1775 

*  Pro-tempore. 


Nathaniel  Woodhull.  1775 
John  Haring,*  1776 
Abraham  Yates,  Jr.,*  1776 
Abraham  Yates,  Jr.,  1776 


Peter  R.  Livingston,  1776 
Abraham  Ten  Broeck,  1777 
Leonard  Gansevoort,*  1777 
Pierre  Van  Cortlandt,t  1777 


t  President  of  the  Council  of  Safety. 


GOVERNORS  SINCE  ADOPTION  OF  THE  CONSTITUTION. 


George  Clinton,  1777 
John  Jay,  1795 
George  Clinton,  1801 
Morgan  Lewis,  1804 
Daniel  D.  Tompkins,  1807 
John  Tayler,*  1817 
DeWitt  Clinton,  1817 
Joseph  C.  Yates,  1823 
DeWitt  Clinton,  1825 
Nathaniel  Pitcher,*  1828 
Martin  Van  Buren,  1829 
Enos  T.  Throop,*  1829 


Enos  T.  Throop,  1831. 
William  L.  Marcy,  1833 
William  H.  Seward,  1839 
William  C.  Bouck,  1843 
Silas  Wright,  1845 
John  Young,  1847 
Hamilton  Fish,  1849 
Washington  Hunt,  1851 
Horatio  Seymour,  1853 
Myron  H.  Clark,  1855 
John  A.  King,  1857 
Edwin  D.  Morgan,  1859 


Horatio  Seymour,  1863 
Reuben  E.  Fenton,  1865 
John  T.  Hoffman,  1869 
John  A.  Dix,  1873 
Samuel  J.  Tilden,  1875 
Lucius  Robinson,  1877 
Alonzo  B.  Cornell,  1880 
Grover  Cleveland,  1883 
David  B.  Hill,*  1885 
David  B.  Hill,  1886 
Roswell  P.  Flower,  1892 


Lieutenant-Governor  acting  as  Governor. 

(204) 


BOOKS  ON  NEW  YORK  STATE  IliSTOKY. 


Without  attempting  to  give  a  bibliography  of  New  York  State  history,  a  classified  list  of 
the  most  helpful  books  is  appended. 

STATE  HISTORIES. 

New  York,  American  Commonwealth  Series,  2  vols.  (to  1885),  Ellis  II.  Roberts. 

Empire  State  (to  1887),  Benson,,.  Lossing. 

History  of  the  State  of  New  York,  2  vols.  (to  1691),  John  R.  Broadhead. 

History  of  New  York,  2  vols.  (to  1789),  William  Dunlap. 

Documentary  History  of  New  York,  4  vols.,  E.  B.  O'Callaghan. 

History  of  the  Province  of  New  York  (to  1762)  William  Smith.  (See  p.  59,  note,  supra). 

Political  History  of  New  York,  2  vols.  (1788-1841),  Jabez  D.  Hammond. 

History  of  Political  Parties  in  the  State  of  New  York  (1783-1844),  J.  S.  Jenkins. 

The  Natural,  Statistical  and  Civil  History  of  the  State  of  New  York,  3  vols.  (to  1800)* 
James  Macauley. 

History  of  New  Netherland,  E.  B.  O'Callaghan. 

New  York  during  the  Revolutionary  War,  2  vols.,  Thomas  Jones. 

History  of  New  York  State  (to  1870),  S.  S.  Randall 
NEW  YORK  CITY. 

History  of  the  City  of  New  York,  2  vols.  (to  1878),  Mrs.  Martha  J.  Lamb. 

Shorter  works  under  similar  titles  by  Mary  L.  Booth  (to  1859),  William  L.  Stone  (to  1870),. 
D.  T.  Valentine  (to  1853),  and  Benson  J.  Lossing. 

New  York,  Historic  Towns  Series,  Theodore  Roosevelt. 

Story  of  the  City  of  New  York,  Charles  Burr  Todd. 

Memorial  History  of  the  City  of  New  York  (to  be  completed  in  four  volumes  to  1892> 
Gen.  J.  G.  Wilson. 

INDIANS  AND  FRENCH  IN  NEW  YORK. 

History  of  the  Five  Nations,  Cadwallader  Colden. 
Notes  on  the  Iroquois,  Henry  Rowe  Schoolcraf  t. 
League  of  the  Iroquois,  Lewis  Henry  Morgan. 

Parkman's  Works,  especially,  Pioneers  of  France  in  the  New  World,  The  Jesuits  In 
North  America,  The  Old  Regime  in  Canada,  Count  Frontenac  and  New  Fiance  under  Louis 

XIV.,  Montcalm  and  Wolfe. 

BIOGRAPHIES. 

The  following  biographies  are  in  the  American  Statesmen  Series : 

Alexander  Hamilton,  Henry  Cabot  Lodge. 

Gouverneur  Morris,  Theodore  Roosevelt. 

Martin  Van  Buren,  Edward  M.  Shepard. 

John  Jay,  George  Pellew. 

In  the  Makers  of  America  Series,  Sir  William  Johnson  and  the  Six  Nations,  William 
Elliot  Griffis,  is  a  recent  and  valuable  contribution  to  New  York  history. 

Biographies  of  Johnson,  Brant  and  Red  Jacket,  William  L.  Stone. 

Lives  of  the  Governors  of  New  York,  1  vol.  (to  1850),  J.  S.  Jenkins. 

Life  and  Times  of  Philip  Schuyler,  2  vols.,  Benson  J.  Lossing. 

J.  Fenninore  Cooper,  American  Men  of  Letters  Series,  Thomas  R.  Lounsbury. 

This  list  might  be  extended.    Ji  th   libraries  furnished  the  school  districts  of  the  State 
some  years  ago  are  short  biographies  of  some  of  the  leading  men  of  the  State. 

(205) 


206  BOOKS   ON   NEW  YORK   STATE  HISTORY. 

FICTION. 

Cooper's  Novels,  especially  The  Spy,  Satanstoe,  Miles  Wallingford  and  the  Leather 
stocking  Tales. 

Story  of  a  New  York  House,  H.  C.  Bunner.  (New  York  city  in  the  early  part  of  the  XIX 
Century.) 

In  the  Valley,  Harold  Frederic.    (Mohawk  valley  in  Revolutionary  times.) 

In  Leisler's  Times,  Elbridge  S.  Brooks. 

The  Begum's  Daughter,  Edwin  Lassetter  Bynner.    (Colonial). 

The  Bow  of  Orange  Ribbon,  Amelia  E.  Barr.    (Revolution). 

The  Dutchman's  Fireside,  James  Kirke  Paulding. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 

The  Magazine  of  American  History. 

Travels  in  New  England  and  New  York  (1821-28),  Theodore  Dwight. 

Narrative  and  Critical  History  of  the  United  States  (under  Middle  Colonies  in  vol.  V.  and 
the  English  in  New  York  in  vol.  HI.),  Winsor. 

Centennial  Celebrations  of  the  State  of  New  York,  issued  by  the  Regents  of  the  Uni- 
versity. 

General  Sullivan's  Indian  Expedition,  issued  by  the  Secretary  of  State. 

Journal  of  a  Voyage  to  New  York  in  1679-80,  Jason  Dankers  and  Peter  Sluyler. 

Knickerbocker  History  of  New  York,  Washington  Irving. 

Frontiersmen  of  New  York,  Jeptha  R.  Simms. 

Journal  of  a  Tour  to  Niagara  Falls  in  1805,  Timothy  Bigelow. 

The  Story  of  New  York  State,  Elbridge  S.  Brooks. 
LOCAL  HISTORIES. 

Sections  of  the  State  are  treated  in  such  works  as  Reminiscences  of  Western  New  York, 
J.  L.  Barton,  Annals  of  Tryon  County,  William  W.  Campbell,  and  History  .of  Long  Island 
Thompson. 

Each  county  and  many  of  the  towns  and  cities  have  their  published  histories.  It  is 
unnecessary  to  enumerate. 

NOTE.— In  answer  to  teachers  who  have  asked  for  hints  in  extending  the  ten  or  fifteen 
weeks'  work  in  this  volume  to  twenty  weeks,  the  author  has  these  suggestions  to  make  : 

With  some  of  the  books  above  noted  the  history  of  New  York  may  be  further  pursued 
topically.  Such  subjects  as  Dutch  customs  and  manners,  the  French  in  New  York,  boundary 
disputes  with  Connecticut,  Massachusetts,  New  Hampshire,  Pennsylvania,  New  Jersey  and 
New  France,  the  constitutions  of  New  York,  the  Iroquois  confederacy,  the  Erie  canal,  the 
anti-masonic  movement,  the  anti-rent  rebellion,  the  school  history  of  New  York,  the  states- 
men, inventors,  men  of  letters  and  business  men  of  New  York,  and  like  topics,  suggest  fields 
for  reading  and  investigation. 

Another  line  of  work  that  will  profitably  fill  two  or  three  weeks  of  the  term  in  this  con- 
nection is  the  study  of  local  history.  Beside  reading  county  and  town  histories  of  his 
section,  the  pupil  should  be  directed  to  examine  the  files  of  local  papers  ;ind  to  obtain  facts 
and  incidents  from  old  residents  ;  if  then  with  these  data  he  writes  a  history  of  his  town  or 
county  he  will  get  an  idea  of  the  sources  of  history  and  come  to  a  better  understanding  of 
what  history  is. 


COUNTIES   OF   r 

Ill  III  II  III 

mini 



- 

<*-•  X 

A     000  121  059     0 

r         Xame. 

*jT     Formed  from  wliat. 

^  -, 

Origin  of  name. 

County  Seat 

;    i...- 

Uon, 

i 

-£ 

1890. 

34  Albany. 

'.rinal.                           Duke  of  York. 

Albany. 

:•  ;  '"• 

2;  Allegany. 
16  Broome. 

1800  Genesee.                         Allegany  river. 
>ga.                               John  Broome. 

Belmont. 
Binghamton 

•,;.:;>< 

21  Cattaraugus. 

Indian 

name. 

Little  Valley. 

BOL888 

45  Cayuga. 

inondaga. 

Indian  tribe. 

Auburn. 

8BJ  •  •-• 

22  <  'hautauqua. 

icsee. 

Indian 

name. 

Mayville. 

7-'.  8  2 

1»  (hemung. 

1-3;  Tioga.                               ('hemung  river. 

Elmira. 

s-  888 

31  Chenango. 

I7'.is  Herkimer  and  Tioga.     Chenango  river. 

Norwich. 

87,778 

5.s  Clinton. 
13  Columbia. 

!7ss  Washington.                   George  Clinton. 
l>any.                           Columbus. 

Plattsburgh. 
Hudson. 

18,48! 

30  Cortland. 

isux  Onondaga.                      Pierre  VanCortlamlt  Cortland. 

88,88) 

15  Delaware. 

1707  Ulster  and  otseiro.          Delawa 

re  river. 

Delhi. 

10  Dutche<s. 

10S3  Original.                            Duchess  of  York. 

Poughkeepsle. 

77*879 

23  Erie. 

1831  Niagara.                          Lake  E 

rie. 

Buffalo. 

888,081 

5V  Essex. 

;:iton.                            County  of  England. 

Elizabethtown. 

88,068 

50  Franklin. 

tnton. 

Benjarr 

lin  Franklin. 

Malone. 

88,110 

3'.t  Fulton.                      Montgomery. 

Robert  Fulton. 

Johnstown. 

47  Genesee. 

1802  Ontario. 

Qeneae 

e  river. 

Batavia. 

88JBBB 

14  Greene. 

\  i  bany  and  Ulster.         Nathaniel  Greene. 

Catskill. 

SLfU 

55  Hamilton. 

l*n;  Montgomery. 

Alexan 

der  Hamilton 

Ille. 

1,788 

4;  Herkimer. 

Kill  Montgomery. 

Nicholi 

is  Herkimer. 

Herkimer. 

45,808 

53  Jefferson. 

1805  Oneida. 

Thoma 

s  Jefferson. 

Watertown. 

r.~  -m, 

3  Kings. 

1683  Original. 

King  Charles  11. 

Brooklyn. 

888^47 

54  Lewis. 

1805  Oneida. 

Morgai 

i  Lewis, 

Lowvflle. 

88^08 

2.~>  Livingston. 

1821  Genesee  and  Ontario.     Robert 

R.  Livingston 

87,801 

4.3  Madison. 

1*1  «i  Chenango.                       James  Madison. 

Mon-isyille. 

j.i  x.,., 

511  Monroe. 

1*21  Ontario  and  Genesee.     James 

Monroe. 

l&JBBt 

40  Montgomery* 

17:2  Albany.                          Richard  Montgomery  Fonda. 

;:,.>  '.'.' 

5  New  York. 

iginal.                          city  an 

d  county  iden 

deal 

i.5:."i..';i'i 

is  Niagara. 

icsee.                          Xiagar 

x  river. 

Lock  port. 

88.4M 

\-i  •  meida. 

170*  Herkimer.                         Indian  tribe. 

Utica. 

44  Onondaga. 

1704  Herkimer.                        Indian 

tribe. 

1I.-..2I7 

41;  Ontario. 
1    8  Orange. 

I7xi  Montgomery.                   Lake  Ontario.               Canandaigua. 
liXJ  i  )riginal.                           Sou  of  Duke  of  York  Goshen,  Xewburgh. 

18,488 
KM 

4!)  Or. 

1*21  Genesee. 

Albion. 

80,801 

52  Oswugo. 
32  Otsego. 

isii;  Oneida  and  Onondaga.  City  of  Oswego. 
1701  Montgomery.                 llndianname. 

Pulaski.  Oswego. 
Cooperstown. 

60^81 

9  Putnam. 

isi2  Dutcliess. 

Israel 

Putnam. 

Carmel. 

2  Queens. 

iginal. 

Wife  o 

'Charles  11. 

Jamaica. 

U8.0B8 

:;i;  Kensselaer.  " 

1791  .-vlbany. 

Van  Benaaetaer  fam- 

Troy. 

ily. 

!  Richmond. 

1083  Original. 

Son  of  Charles  II. 

Richmond. 

.*•!.  '''.':'. 

7  Kockland. 

Descriptive. 

Clarkstown. 

86,188 

3t  Lawrence. 

aton,  Montgomery 

St.  Lawrence  river. 

Canton. 

V..e|- 

and  Herkimer. 

3*  Saratoga. 

1701  Albany. 

Indian  name. 

87,888 

ctady. 

-choharie. 
lyler. 

l*no  Albany.                            Indi  in  name. 
1705  Albany  and  Otsego.        Indian  name, 
uben.  Chemungand  Philip  Suhuyler 

Watkins. 

8B,M4 

10,711 

•ieca- 

Hi  steuben. 
1  Suffolk. 
12  Sullivan. 

Tompkins. 
ruga, 
tario. 

HJS3  Original. 

Indian  tribe. 
Baron  Steuben. 
county  of  England. 
John  Sullivan. 

Waterloo, 
Bath. 
Rlverhi 
Monticello. 

81,471 
88,481 

31.081 

•  >•  • 

17  '1'ioga. 

l?'0i  Mr  >nt  i;omery.                   Indian 

tame. 

.  ' 

2:1  Tompkins. 
11  Ulster. 

,  in;  a  and'**-; 
_:iual. 

Daniel  D.  Totnpklns. 
Irish  Earldom  of 

Duke  of  York. 

Kingston. 

:'.:'  '   "', 

r,i;  Warren. 
:;7  Washington.* 

51  Wayne, 
-tor. 

1«13  Washington.                                                             '  aldwell. 
1772  \lbanv. 
\*-&  Ontario  and  Seneca.       Anthony  V. 
Towiioi  \\  , 

tfjBU 
15,800 

2i  Wyoming. 

1*11  Gen 

"•••~- 

,-.!    Tl-V,   .1 

5,WT.85J| 

